Attachment #1 CSSC Letter from NHLBI to Board Chairs and Members

Letter from NHLBI to Board Chairs and Members

[DATE]

Dear Dr. _______________:

In 2009-2011, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) established the Clinical Studies Support Center (CSSC) with Westat, Inc. in Rockville, MD. The purpose of the CSSC is to support the operations of NHLBI’s Data and Safety Monitoring Boards (DSMBs), Observational Monitoring Boards (OSMBs) and Protocol Review Committees (PRCs) for the Division of Blood Diseases and Resources. As a [Chair/member] of a monitoring board who has been working with support from the CSSC, you are an important source of feedback and advice for the NHLBI on the support provided by the CSSC for board operations. We would appreciate your opinions about specific CSSC activities and your satisfaction with the performance of CSSC staff.

The purpose of this letter is to let you know that you will soon be contacted by Westat to complete a web-based questionnaire to assess CSSC performance and provide your suggestions for improvements. The questionnaire was developed with assistance from three of your monitoring board colleagues and received a public review as part of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance process. The questionnaire and data collection effort were approved by OMB on _______________ (OMB #___________). Completion of the questionnaire is voluntary. The questionnaire is expected to take no more than 15 minutes to complete. All information will be confidential, and no one will be identified in any reporting that takes place.

I want to thank you for your continuing participation in NHLBI’s monitoring board activities and your dedication to the health and safety of research participants. I look forward to receiving feedback from you on the CSSC so we can further improve board operations. Please do not hesitate to contact either of us with any questions about this survey.

Sincerely,

Keith Hoots, MD	Simone Glynn, MD
Director, Division Division of Blood Diseases and Resources	Branch Chief, Transfusion Medicine and Cellular Therapies Branch, Division of Blood Diseases and Resources
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute [email protected]	National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute [email protected]