What does it take to strengthen public health systems nationwide and why does flexible funding matter? In this PHIG Impact Report, we’re joined by SzePui Hughes, senior director of public health workforce and infrastructure at ASTHO to unpack the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) and ASTHO’s role as a national partner.
What does it take to strengthen public health systems nationwide and why does flexible funding matter? In this PHIG Impact Report, we’re joined by SzePui Hughes, senior director of public health workforce and infrastructure at ASTHO to unpack the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) and ASTHO’s role as a national partner. We’ll discuss how health departments are using PHIG funding to modernize data systems, expand community-based services, and build a more resilient workforce, while adapting to shifting priorities and pressures. Hughes shares key trends health leaders are raising, from peer learning and leadership development to long-term sustainability, and highlights real-world success stories from states and local agencies.
This work is supported by funds made available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, through OE22-2203: Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems grant. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
JOHN SHEEHAN:
This is Public Health Review Morning Edition for Tuesday, January 21, 2026. I'm John Sheehan for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
Today, another edition of the PHIG Impact Report. We're joined by ASTHO's Senior Director of Public Health Workforce and Infrastructure, SzePui Hughes, to unpack the Public Health Infrastructure Grant, or PHIG, which is entering its fourth year, and ASTHO's role as a national partner. We'll discuss how health departments are using PHIG funding to modernize data systems, expand community-based services, and build a more resilient workforce, while adapting to shifting priorities and pressures.
SZEPUI HUGHES:
ASTHO serves as one of the three national partners funded through the Public Health Infrastructure Grant, or PHIG, and this means that we lead a broad range of capacity-building initiatives and activities to support all of our members and other PHIG-supported health departments. Collectively, we all have a goal to strengthen public health infrastructure across the nation, and the flexibility of fig allows our organizations to reach our intended health outcomes by building on evidence-based strategies as well as innovating with new and promising practices. Since the beginning of the grant, we at ASTHO have made it our goal to support health departments in achieving their long-term PHIG goals. Agencies and jurisdictions may have different emerging needs at any particular moment in time, and our strong relationships with state and territorial health officials and their leadership teams have allowed us to effectively tailor our support and quickly adapt to shifting priorities. Along with the other national partners, National Network of Public Health Institutes and the Public Health Accreditation Board, we also provide technical assistance to health departments in states, territories, and freely associated states, as well as PHIG-funded big cities and counties to help them strengthen their data modernization workforce and foundational capabilities. ASTHO also has an extended network of trusted partners that we rely on to quickly connect health department staff to specialized subject matter experts. And one other important role for us at ASTHO is to lead the strategy and development of communication activities to tell the story of PHIG across health departments and their partners. With three years of PHIG-supported work under their belts, PHIG recipients now have so many successes, innovations, and lessons learned to share with each other and other important audiences. Our goal is to work with health departments, national partners, and CDC to amplify these stories of impact and showcase the value of this flexible funding and its direct effect on organizations and the communities that they serve.
SHEEHAN:
And I'll want to come back to some of those successes in a minute. But first, could you, could you let us know, sort of, some of the priorities that you're hearing about from agencies sort of around the country, and what is, what is ASTHO's role in helping those, helping turn those priorities into, into action?
HUGHES:
Well, I think it's no surprise to everyone that health department leaders are really dealing with so many competing priorities these days, compounded by the shifting economic and political landscape. At the same time, there are opportunities to consider new partnerships, streamline the way that we work, and shape the future of public health. We're hearing that health department staff continue to place high value on the connection opportunities that allow them to discuss challenges and learn from their peers in similar roles. Over the years, ASTHO has built a strong framework for leadership development through peer connection offerings, such as our Executive Leadership Forum, bring together senior deputies, chief financial officers, workforce directors, data modernization leads, legislative liaisons, and so many more to really strategize and consider additional perspectives for decision-making. ASTHO also supports peer networks and learning communities for key PHIG staff, including principal investigators, workforce directors, grants managers, and communications leads, to gather ideas, resources, and other perspectives to inform their work. Another thing that's top of mind for many PHIG recipients is the need to address sustainability at their organization. This could mean sustainability in different ways, whether it's securing future funding to maintain operations, ensuring continuity of services with shifting priorities, maintaining the public health workforce, just to name a few. ASTHO has developed a sustainability framework that can inform planning activities across all health department areas. We're weaving these concepts into our technical assistance efforts as well as our capacity-building resources. And really look forward to highlighting this work in the coming year.
SHEEHAN:
And could, could you highlight some successes and some uses of the funds that have really had impact?
HUGHES:
Yes, given all of the tremendous work that health departments have done in the past three years, there are a lot of stories of progress and impact to the local community. ASTHO currently hosts over 150 success stories in a variety of formats on our PHIG Partners website, and we know that there are many more stories that recipients and partners are planning to share. One example, the Illinois Department of Public Health leveraged its PHIG funding to expand its cloud-based data infrastructure. These improvements allowed Illinois to develop tools to serve the community, including a dashboard to support public health teams in monitoring and responding to heat wave risks. The health department also launched a measles outbreak dashboard using machine learning to help anticipate and monitor potential outbreak patterns in real time for Illinois schools. Another example in Wake County, North Carolina, the health department has successfully used its PHIG funds to expand community-based services and meet people where they are. They set up a mobile unit to deliver essential health services, including chronic disease screening and vaccinations to communities that typically experience barriers to access to care, such as transportation or cost. Wake County also empowered trusted local partners, such as grassroots and faith-based organizations, and barber shops, to reach residents more effectively. These are just a couple of examples of the important and creative progress achieved by our dedicated public health colleagues. And I encourage everyone to view the collection of stories on phinfrastructure.org.
SHEEHAN:
That's really a pretty wide-ranging set of examples, you know, going from cloud computing to, to mobile services. That's, as you say, that's indicative of the flexible funding nature of it. And that's really impressive that so many initiatives were, were sparked by it. Are there, are there specific priorities or initiatives or directions that you see ASTHO kind of focusing on going into year four?
HUGHES:
Well, ASTHO and the national partners will continue to support health departments to achieve their goals in building public health infrastructure. Our technical assistance and capacity building resources are really designed to help public health leaders strengthen their organization's culture systems and operations for the life of PHIG and beyond. So, moving forward, in year four of this grant, ASTHO is really excited to help tell the story of public health agencies and how their resilience and resourcefulness are really essential to helping communities thrive. Telling the story of PHIG is really about telling the story of how health departments are moving the needle towards having an infrastructure that leads to improving health outcomes, including things like increasing efficiencies to deliver services to their local communities and leveraging partnerships, including those in other sectors, to accelerate progress and improve outcomes. The past three years of PHIG has reinforced what we have understood to be an essential public health message for all audiences. Investing in flexible funding to build public health infrastructure will ultimately protect and save lives by ensuring that people, structures, and systems are in place to quickly respond during times of emergency and to continue providing essential services to improve the health of all communities.
SHEEHAN:
SzePui Hughes, thanks so much.
HUGHES:
Thank you for the opportunity, John.
SHEEHAN:
SzePui Hughes is senior director of public health workforce and infrastructure at ASTHO. This has been another edition of the PHIG Impact Report.
I'm John Sheehan with Public Health Review Morning Edition from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
