DURHAM, N.C. -- A Nov. 26 forum hosted by Duke University Medical Center will examine what the medical community is doing to respond to and prepare for acts of terrorism.

The session, which is free and open to the public, is the eighth in a series of forums organized by Duke in the wake of the events of Sept.

The 90-minute forum begins at 7 p.m. in Von Canon rooms B and C in the Bryan Student Center on Duke's West Campus. Time will be provided for questions and answers.

The program will begin with comments from Dr. R. Sanders Williams, dean of the Duke University School of Medicine and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Barton Haynes, chair of the department of medicine at Duke University Medical Center and director of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, and Dr. Joseph Heitman, associate professor of genetics, pharmacology and cancer biology and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, will moderate the forum, which will feature the following topics and speakers:

Medical aspects of bioterrorism - Dr. Keith Kaye, director of hospital infection control, Duke Hospital, and assistant professor, Division of Infectious Diseases;

Medical aspects of chemical toxins used in terrorism - Dr. Woodhall "Sandy" Stopford, assistant clinical professor, community and occupational medicine, Department of Community and Family Medicine;

Medical aspects of radiation in terrorism - Randy Jirtle, professor, Department of Radiation Oncology; and

Psychological responses to terrorism - John Fairbank, associate professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

Previous forums at Duke discussed "The New War on Terrorism: Initial Assessments," "Christianity, War and Patriotism," "National Security and Civil Liberties: How to Strike the Balance?," "The Terrorism Crisis and the World Economy: What Effects, What Strategies?," "The Morality of War in Islamic and Christian Perspective," "The Technologies of Counterterrorism" and "Historians Reflect on the Current Crisis: International Perspectives."

Streaming video of the previous forums, along with links and other resources, are available at http://www.duke.edu/web/forums/.