B.C.’s Child and Family Research Institute is offering two Mini Med School information sessions to anyone with an internet hookup.

And the first session is particularly timely, as it lines up three experts to discuss H1N1 influenza.

The institute has been holding Mini Med School sessions in Vancouver for a few years, and they quickly fill up to the 200-seat limit.

Spokeswoman Stephanie Dunn said Wednesday the two fall sessions are now being webcast live for any and all to watch. As well, spectators can e-mail in questions to be fielded by the three-member panel.

Those members are: UBC clinical professor Dr. Eva Thomas, who is associate head of the department of pathology and laboratory medicine at B.C. Children’s Hospital and B.C. Women’s Hospital and Health Centre; pediatric infectious disease specialist at B.C. Children’s Dr. Simon Dobson; and professor with infectious and immunological diseases at UBC Dr. David Scheifele.

They will discuss how to know if you have the swine flu virus, how it spreads, how it will affect you and try to cut through the confusion that’s been swirling around the pandemic. They’ll talk about how best to protect your family and yourself and what the latest information is about where B.C. is at.

The live stream video runs from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at www.cfri.ca/minimed. Questions can be emailed to minimed@cfri.ca.

The second session deals with childhood cancer and goes online from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18. It includes details about the latest in research, how care has improved, what’s next in treatment and future research.

The childhood cancer panel will include Dr. Mason Bond, acting head of hematology and oncology at UBC, Dr. Rod Rassekh, a clinical investigator with CFRI and assistant professor at UBC, Dr. Sandra Dunn with CFRI and assistant professor at UBC, and Dr. Kirk Schultz, who deals with search and development of new treatments.

This second session will be online at the same web site, and the email address for questions is the same.