Ever Wonder Who Participates in All Those Health Surveys?

Giving blood and participating in fundraiser walks are popular ways to help those in need, but there's another way to directly support America's medical research communities and advance important knowledge that could someday improve or save lives: participate in a clinical trial.

Research studies are one of the most effective ways for scientists to advance knowledge in virtually every facet of health care. From studying nutrition and exercise, to developing new treatments and more, clinical trials shape the future of health care for everyone.

Thousands of institutions across the country are looking for people just like you to participate in a research study. ClinicalTrials.gov - a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health - currently lists over 95,000 studies in the U.S. with locations in all 50 states. You can search by a variety of criteria, including age, health condition and location, to find studies that are a match to your interests.

According to JoAnn Manson, MD, DrPH, Chief, Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, "Volunteers are critical to the research process. Without the dedication and altruism of study volunteers, researchers wouldn't be able to get the answers needed to advance science and improve health."

Dr. Manson is part of several large, groundbreaking clinical trials. She and her colleague Dr. Howard Sesso are lead investigators of the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS), a landmark clinical trial examining the role of cocoa flavanols, plant-derived bioactive compounds from the cacao bean, and a multivitamin supplement in helping people maintain cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of other chronic diseases such as cancer.

Dr. Manson, Dr. Sesso, and their team are looking to enroll 18,000 women and men nationwide to take cocoa flavanol and multivitamin supplements for four years. If you are interested in volunteering for COSMOS, visit http://www.cosmostrial.org/join or call 800-633-6913 to learn more.