The Distinguished Lecture Series in Sports Medicine at Hope College will explore how to prevent, recognize and treat exertion-related heat illness on Tuesday, April 13, at 7 p.m. in the Maas Center.

The public is invited. Admission is free.

Dr. Douglas Casa of the University of Connecticut at Storrs will provide an overview for sports medicine professionals regarding the prevention, recognition and treatment of dehydration, heat cramps, heat syncope, heat exhaustion, exertional hyponatremia and exertional heat stroke. Highlights will include 10 common misconceptions associated with exertional heat stroke and 10 immediate steps to take when exertional heat stroke is suspected. Topics will also include how to identify at-risk athletes, and how different sport settings, from high school to college to professional, can influence health care.

Casa has a Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut and is one of the nation's leading experts on sport-related heat illness. He is the chair of the National Athletic Trainers' Association Pronouncements Committee and served as the principal author of NATA's position statement on exertional heat illness.

The Distinguished Lecture Series in Sports Medicine is designed for health care professionals with an interest in physically active patients, and is intended for students, educators and clinicians alike. It is co-sponsored by Holland Community Hospital, GRSportsCenter and the college.

The Maas Center is located on Columbia Avenue at 11th Street.