The program is an opportunity for Midlands residents to gain insight into major health and social issues that impact South Carolina, and for the USC School of Medicine to give back to the community at large.

All interested community members are invited to register for one or more sessions. No entrance exams or fees are required.

Topics and speakers for this year's program include:

• Oct. 14, "Sports Medicine: Staying Safe in an Active Lifestyle"
  Jeffrey A. Guy, assistant professor and team orthopaedist for the USC Gamecocks Athletics Programs, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
  
  
• Oct. 21, "A Skin-Deep Guide to Rejuvenation"
  Annette Lynn, director of the Division of Dermatology and assistant professor, Department of Internal Medicine
  
  
• Oct. 28, "Diabetes: Too sweet for your own good!"
  Patricia Witherspoon, assistant professor, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine
  
  
• Nov. 4, "Environmental & Forensic Pathology, You, and Your Lifestyle: Do's and Don'ts"
  Carol McMahon, assistant dean for minority affairs and assistant professor, Department of Pathology and Microbiology
  
  
• Nov. 11, "Are Our School Children Safe?"
  Donna M. Schwartz-Watts, director of forensic services and associate professor, Department of Neuropsychiatry
  
  
• Nov. 18, "Bioterrorism: Emerging Threats"
  Abdul Ghaffar, associate professor and course director, Department of Pathology and Microbiology
  

Classes will be held in the M-II classroom on the Dorn Veteran's Administration Hospital Campus on Garners Ferry Road in Columbia.

To register, or for more information, call 733-3200.

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