Members of the Harvard community are invited to a broad-based women's health symposium on May 5-6 that is being cosponsored by the Department of Athletics and the Harvard-Radcliffe Foundation for Women's Athletics (HRFWA).

The two-day event, "Women and a Lifetime of Fitness: The Power of Physical and Emotional Health," has an extensive program for the general public and special sessions for students, coaches, trainers, and parents. The event will be held at the University's Bright Hockey Center, Dillon Field House, and Lavietes Basketball Pavilion, all located in the Soldiers Field Athletic complex.

Admission is complimentary. Because seating for some workshops is limited, it is important to register by April 25.

A pre-symposium program begins on Monday, May 5, at 9 a.m. with a student session moderated by Suzanne Repetto, associate director of Harvard's Bureau of Study Counsel. Among the panelists will be Ellen Hart Pena '80, a track standout and competitor at the 1980 U.S. Olympic Trials who suffered from an eating disorder, and Jeff Musselman '85, a major league baseball pitcher whose career was cut short by alcoholism.

The pre-symposium program will also feature a session for female students interested in careers in medicine (at noon), and one for University Health Services and other medical staff (at 4 p.m.)

The symposium will officially begin Monday at 6:30 p.m. with a session on "Health Issues for the Active Woman: How to Effectuate Change." The discussion will be moderated by Lucy Arnold '78, assistant professor of pediatric and cardiovascular medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, and will include a coaches' panel and a discussion on the benefits of physical activity to women's health.

Two general sessions will take place on Tuesday, May 6. The morning session (at 8 a.m.) will address the physical considerations of active women and be moderated by Rosemary Agostini, a clinical physician at the Virginia Mason Sports Medicine Center in Seattle. Among the panelists is Judith LaRosa, chair of the Department of Community Health Sciences at Tulane University, who will speak on women's health research. Nutrition and its links to cancer prevention; risky behaviors; physical activity and obesity; cardiovascular health; and physical activity through one's lifetime will also be discussed.

The afternoon program (at 1:15 p.m.) will focus on the psychological considerations of active women and be moderated by Sharyn Lenhart, attending psychiatrist at McLean Hospital. Topics will include education, relationships, stress, the drive to diet, and developing life skills.

Parents of area teenage athletes are invited to a session on "Parents and Coaches as Role Models." It will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday and feature Judith LaRosa of Tulane; 1972 Olympic gymnast Nancy Marshall; and Colonial Figure Skating Club coach Merita Mullen.

For more information or to register for any sessions, call Debbie Volpe Hogan at 495-4837.