PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS

Medical Research

Another component of public health is scientific and medical research. A cadre of doctors and scientists work in laboratories around the world to establish new ways to prevent, diagnose, treat, and cure disease and disability.

For example, over 30,000 different biomedical research projects are underway in the United States to investigate diseases such as AIDS, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and even the common cold.

Other projects investigate the safety and effectiveness of existing pharmaceuticals and treatment programs, and test the safety of hundreds of the products that we use everyday, such as new food products, household cleaners, and nonpolluting forms of gasoline.

Scientists and doctors employed by the government conduct some biomedical research in public health facilities. In other cases, biomedical research projects beneficial to public health, but conducted by nongovernmental scientists, receive public health funding to help cover the expenses associated with the research.

These research projects may be conducted by university professors, doctors and scientists at hospitals, and even private biomedical research firms, all working to find better ways to protect human health.