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Tuesday, June 28, 2005

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.

3 comments:

Karama said...

Thanks for stopping by, Jason. I hope you'll come again soon.

Here's some information on how sisters can participate in breast cancer research.

Karama said...

You may want to learn more about community-based participatory research (CBPR):

"Health-related research studies may develop new treatments or find ways to prevent disease. But it can take years before these treatments become available in most clinics, doctors' offices, or community health centers. This is especially true for disadvantaged communities, even when they are the subject of the research.

There is a type of health care research that promises to directly benefit the people studied. This approach, Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), actively involves the community being studied in the research."

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