Participate in Research

I and several of my friends are participants in the Black Women's Health Study. Every two years or so, we answer questions on diet, environment, physical and mental health issues, exercise, and more. Together we are helping physicians and researchers understand and improve the health of black women in the US.

You too may be able to participate in a research trial. All kinds are available. Your local university's psychology department may be conducting behavior research. I have a friend who is participating in a HIV vaccine trial. And there are trials to test all kinds of drugs, devices, and other treatments for particular conditions. Get more information from these sources:

* Learn more about the purpose of clinical trials, who may participate, and important questions you should ask before you decide to participate.

* Clinicaltrials.gov "provides regularly updated information about federally and privately supported clinical research in human volunteers. ClinicalTrials.gov gives you information about a trial's purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers for more details."

* Clinicalstudies.info.nih.gov provides information on NIH sponsored clinical trials.

If you are so inclined, this is an excellent way to contribute to medicine, science, and society.

"Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose. It is a seeking that he who wishes may know the cosmic secrets of the world and that they dwell therein." - Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960), novelist, short story writer, folklorist, playwright and anthropologist.