Volunteer For Research
If you want to help advance your own health, the health of your children and grandchildren, and the health of the entire world, one way to help is to volunteer for medical research. Hospitals, universities, and research labs are always looking for people to participate in basic medical research and clinical trials. Today, they have a particular interest in studying women and ethnic minorities, because older studies often focused mainly on white men. Usually, each study will be looking for people of a particular age, gender, ethnic background, or medical history. Studies often advertise for volunteers in newspapers,on buses and in subways,or on community bulletin boards.The hospital or medical school in your area may have an office that provides information about volunteer opportunities.
Volunteering for research has many benefits. You can know that you are contributing to the world’s medical knowledge. You will usually receive free medical care as part of the study, and you might be paid for your time. You might find out more about your own health because you participated in the study. If you have a chronic medical condition, you might even discover a new treatment that works for you.
If you do volunteer for a study,you should take the informed consent agreement very seriously. Make sure that you carefully read any documents you have to sign and that you fully understand the time commitment and possible consequences of participating in the study. Some studies involve nothing more than answering a questionnaire or having a few simple tests done. Others involve repeated visits to a research center, spanning months or even years, and complicated medical procedures that may not have all the bugs worked out. Always go into a study with your eyes open to its potential risks and benefits.
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