How to Join Clinical Studies

Clinical studies, also known as clinical trials, are controlled studies of the effects of drugs, treatment or other factors on the health of participants. Although doctors and scientists also can run tests on animals, they require human volunteers to fully understand the effect of treatment on people. Drug companies, national institutes and universities all conduct clinical trials where volunteers can participate after being accepted by the researchers, and after agreeing to the risks and requirements of participating.

Instructions

• 1

  Volunteer for a clinical study at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The institute conducts and supports clinical studies related to chemical exposure and other artificial and natural agents in the environment that might influence disease. The institute is partnered with a number of American universities that also are conducting clinical studies. Refer to the listing of current clinical studies.

• 2

  Consult the listings in Clinical Trials at the U.S. National Institute of Health. This government-maintained site has a detailed listing of clinical trials by public and private organizations across the country. Trials are listed by region and by topic.

• 3

  Consult Join Clinical Trials. This sponsor-supported registry maintains an international listing of publicly and privately supported clinical trials. The listings are updated once every 30 days. Trials can be browsed by region and purpose.