A nationally renowned medical humanist will address issues relating to aging and death at a public forum scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 25 and Wednesday, Jan. 26 at Coastal Carolina University. The talks are free and open to the public.

Sandra Bertman, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Thanatology and the Arts at the National Center for Death Education at Mount Ida College, will be visiting CCU as part of the Nancy Smith Visiting Scholars Series.

Bertman will present a master class on the topic "Other Ways of Knowing: Women’s Aging and the Arts" on Tuesday, Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. in room 244 of the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts. From Bertman: "The aging woman has received bad press. Drawing on the visual, literary arts and pop-culture, we will challenge stereotypes as we review —and perhaps re-vision—the woman's life cycle."

On Wednesday, Jan. 26, at 4:30 in Wall Auditorium, Bertman will present a lecture on “Facing Death: The Healing Power of Hope, Humor and Grief,” followed by a reception in the Wall Boardroom.

On Thursday, Jan. 27, at 12:30 p.m., Bertman will present Grand Rounds at Conway Medical Center on the topic "Ars Moriendi: The 'Good Death' in the 21st Century." Reservations are required (by Tuesday, Jan. 25) for lunch and attendance. Call Debra Smith at 347-8103 to make reservations.

Bertman was the founding director of the Program of Medical Humanities and Arts in Healthcare at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She works with art, literature, music and ethics in her research and teaching related to topics including death, grief, aging and Alzheimer's. Her books include "Facing Death: Images, Insights and Interventions" (Taylor Francis, 1991) and "One Breath Apart" (Baywood Publishing, 2009).

For more information, call Sara Sanders at 843-349-2052 or Judy Davis at 843-349-6423.