What is EPA’s Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee?
28 Mar 2006 in Regulatory Science, Peer Review
There is often confusion between an advisory committee and a peer review panel. This committee exemplifies that confusion.
The March 3 BNA story by Pat Phibbs concens a report by EPA’s Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee. This 24-member advisory group was established by EPA under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Advisory groups are stakeholders in a specific policy issue appointed by an agency to provide advice. They do not perform scientific peer review and they do not make decisions. By law, an agency official cannot delegate decision-making authority to an advisory group. And government-wide policy on peer review says that agency officials should not ask peer review panels for policy advice.
Fifteen of the 24 members of CHPAC are medical doctors or scientists—by which we mean they have earned advanced degrees in medicine or a scientific discipline.
This raises a number of interesting questions:
- Given the high proportion of members who are scientists or medical doctors, could the public misconstrue this advisory committee (charged with providing policy advice) with a peer review panel (charged with evaluating science)?
- Do individuals with degrees in medicine or science have any special wisdom about policy because of their medical or scientific training and experience?
- If so, what level of medical or scientific training and experience is sufficient to impart wisdom about policy?
- Are there medical or scientific disciplines that are insufficient or inappropriate?
- Given that committee members are asked to provide policy advice from the perspective of the stakeholders they represent, what additional value do medical doctors and scientists bring to that debate?
