The Crossroads spring lecture series begins on Friday, Feb. 5, 7:30 p.m. at the Orcas Center with Dr. Frank James’ presentation “Life in a Time of Pandemics: Influenza and Other Diseases that Shape Our Future.”

The current worldwide pandemic, the H1N1 influenza virus, seems much less severe than was originally forecast .In San Juan County, for example, there have been no H1N1 deaths and only one hospitalization associated with the disease – a young child who had a pre-existing respiratory condition.

Were the risks exaggerated? Was the response swift enough and adequate to curb the spread of the disease? Was treatment appropriately allocated? How should governments, communities and individuals respond to the risks? Dr. James will address these questions and discuss how the risks from infectious diseases will affect our future.

Dr. Frank James has been the Health Officer for San Juan County for 18 years and is also the Health Officer for the Nooksack Tribe. He received a Ph.D. in Sociolinguistics from Boston University and an MD from the University of Washington. He is Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine and is the primary investigator at the local site for a large multi-center trial evaluating the impact of antioxidants on the prevention of cancer. He has lectured and consulted about pandemics for more than a decade.

The Crossroads series is now in its third year. It is co-sponsored by Friends of the Library, the Orcas Island Public Library, Orcas Center, the Daniel and Margaret Carper Foundation, and the Crossroads Associates.

Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at Darvill’s Bookstore and the Library. A limited number of complimentary tickets are made available in advance through the library and senior center.