Public health research is tremendously expensive in part because Americans are too terrified to participate by answering surveys honestly, much less donate samples (dna, serum, biopsies etc). Many countries have very comprehensive national health records, tumor registries, records of occupational exposures etc. Leaders like Obama should step up and tell African Americans, for example, that it's in their best interest to participate, and that there are safeguards (tremendously burdensome and complex safeguards) now that prevent repeats of the Tuskege experiment. Hell, you have to do a ton of paperwork to justify using mice! Our understanding of cancer and infectious diseases would be vastly enhanced with access to a national cohort.