Have questions about health care reform in Maryland or want to hear about effort to improve residents' health?

The Maryland Science Center will host a free public health forum on Monday at 7:30 p.m. related to the reform effort and visions for the future of public health.

The forum is called “Public Policy and Our Health” and will be preceded by a reception for the first 100 registrants at 6:30 p.m. It stems from a traveling exhibit at the center, at 601 Light Street in Baltimore, about diabetes.

On the panel will be:

+Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and a former deputy commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration. He will talk about health care reform in the state and improving access to care for diabetes and other public health issues.

+Dr. Oxiris Barbot, commissioner of health for Baltimore City. She will discuss Healthy Baltimore 2015, an effort to address 10 of the city’s top health problems.

+Dr. Michelle Gourdine, chief executive and principal consultant for Michelle Gourdine and Associates LLC and a clinical assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She will talk about health inequities caused by public policy and cultural and social forces. She will also sign her book, Reclaiming Our Health: A Guide to African American Wellness.

There is no cost, but public participants must register. Send an email with your name and email address to publichealthprogram@marylandsciencecenter.org. Limit four guests per registration. The forum is sponsored by AEGON Transamerica Foundation.

For more information go to www.marylandsciencecenter.org or call 410-685-5225.