Yeah . . I am going along with what Texs Princess is saying . . .

Smallpox, some of the history of it, how it was eradicated and how real the current threat is. also what treatment options are avilable now.

But current events can very important: So West Nile virus . . how to spot out, treatment options etc.

Various coming plagues . . . I have a list pm me if you want them . . .

Also, a really important thing . . . multi drug resistant strains of diseases!! NASTY.

Basically stuff that was easily cured that now won't go away!

A lot of it has been caused by Doctors giving bad treatment . . .

James-A lot of it has been caused by Doctors giving bad treatment . . .

...and patients not following directions. For example- antibiotic resistance is HUGE! Over medicating because "Mom" wants an antibiotic for a sore throat caused by a virus vs bacteria. Plus,
many on Rx stop taking antibiotics before the full 7-10 day run causing the surviving bacteria to become stronger (think Darwin)and resistant to the medication. Patient education is really lacking in this area.

In hospitals, staph infection is a leading cause of death. Where is Phi Mu Nursie?

As a side note, when choosing your topic, it might be wise to pick one that hasn't been done to "death" yet has tons of information.
Good luck! You have a big pool of topics, let us know what you decide! This is interesting!

Wow, thank you for all of your suggestions! It was very helpful to see all of your different points of view. I did a little preliminary research on a few of these topics, and I decided to go with stem cell research because it's fairly new to most people (i.e., people not in the scientific/medical research field) and because there's a lot of controversy and information available about it. For my project, I'm going to write a letter to a senator/congressman advocating the use of federal funding for stem cell research (our audience is supposed to be imaginary, so it won't be sent...although if it turns out well, maybe I will send it!) and I'm going to put together a pamphlet for uninformed audiences outlining the basics of stem cell research and the possible benefits of it. I just hope that my professor accepts my proposal!

Although I really liked the asthma idea (my brother and I both have asthma), I did a Google search and found that my potential project was pretty much already done within the first two or three links.

Thanks again for all of your help! I knew I could count on GCers to come up with great ideas! :D :cool:

:) yay!!! stem cells are good. I want superman to fly again.

WAHOOO!!!
 

I got an A on my proposal!!! I just thought I'd let you know. Thank you all so much again for your help! :D :D :D :D :D

YaY congratulations!