The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently assessed Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) efforts to recruit and retain personnel after the agency indicated challenges attracting science and technology professionals.
The 21st Century Cures Act provides additional hiring and retention authority enabling HHS to hire up to 2,000 scientists with certain specialized graduate degrees while increasing top pay to hire and retain expert staff. HHS is preparing guidance based on discussion with its agencies to implement the Act’s recruitment and retention flexibilities.
The GAO said medical, engineering, and other science and technology professionals the HHS needs support activities like biomedical and clinical research such as studies of HIV, flu, and COVID-19.
The Act includes a provision directing the GAO to report on the extent to which the recruitment and retention of biomedical research scientists and those in related fields at HHS have been affected by legislative amendments.
The assessment involved the GAO reviewing documentation about various hiring mechanisms and interviewing departmental officials at HHS, as well as officials at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about implementation efforts.
NIH and FDA officials informed the GAO after receiving membership slots they would begin their recruitment and retention process, noting it could take up to six months before scientists are selected.