LEWISTON — Bates College will host “African Refugee Health: Best Practices,” a regional conference also sponsored by, and presenting refugee health experts from, St. Mary’s Health System, the Central Maine Medical Family and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The conference will take place Friday to Sunday, Oct. 15 to 17.

Following a poster presentation of public health research, conference registration will begin at 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15, on the ground floor of the college’s Pettengill Hall, 4 Andrews Road. The keynote presentations and a cultural program at 7 p.m. Saturday, featuring African performers, will be open to the public at no cost, but advance tickets are required.

The public events will take place in the Olin Arts Center at Bates, 75 Russell St. Presenting research in health, public health and medicine, the poster session will precede the conference at 4 p.m. Friday, in Perry Atrium, Pettengill Hall.

Attendance fees for the conference workshops vary, but undergraduate students and Bates faculty may attend at no cost and scholarships are available for African attendees. To register for the paid presentations, to obtain tickets for free events or to learn more, visit bit.ly/Bates-ARH or contact Brenda Pelletier at bpelleti@bates.edu.