TOPSHAM – Central Maine Medical Center and the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute will sponsor a six-part mini-medical school educational series beginning in January. The programs are free and will be held at Topsham Family Medicine, 4 Horton Place.

Open to the community, the series will explore a variety of topics, provide information about the latest breakthroughs and debates in medical science and how these issues might relate to individual health concerns. A background in science or medicine is not necessary to attend the programs.

The series will begin on Wednesday, Jan. 28, with “Obesity and Bariatric Surgery” with Dr. Jamie Loggins, medical director at Central Maine Bariatric Surgery in Lewiston. The program will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Loggins will examine the health problems associated with obesity and how bariatric surgery coupled with lifestyle education offers a solution for some people.

Loggins completed a fellowship in minimally invasive and robotic surgery at the University of California Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, Calif. He is a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Ill. and earned his medical degree at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago.

After his graduation from medical school, Loggins served in the U.S. Army, first as a surgical intern at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, and later as troop medical clinic officer in charge at Fort Carson, Colo. He completed surgical residency training at the Marshfield Clinic, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield, Wis. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery.

Future programs include:

Wednesday, Feb. 4, “From Lance Armstrong to Aunt Martha: What Are the Benefits and Risks of Taking Non-Prescription e-Medical Supplements?,” with Dr. Peter Sedgwick, Central Maine Sports Medicine.

Wednesday, Feb. 11, “Healthy Eating, Healthy Lifestyle,” with Dr. Tim Howe, medical director of wellness and diabetes education at Parkview Adventist Medical Center in Brunswick.

Wednesday, Feb. 18, “Time Is Muscle: Saving Your Heart,” with Dr. William Phillips, medical director of cardiology at the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute.

Wednesday, Feb. 25, “Bone Health,” with Dr. Cynthia Dechenes, Topsham Family Medicine.

Wednesday, March 4, “Maintain Your Brain: How to Live a Brain Healthy Lifestyle,” with Liz Weaver, program director for the Maine Alzheimer’s Association,

For more information or to register for any of the programs, call 798-6227 or e-mail [email protected].