970: Respiratory Virus Season Briefing, CICT Course

JANSON SILVERS: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Friday, August 15, 2025. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

JOSEPH KANTER: 

I'm so delighted to welcome you to this deskside media briefing on the upcoming respiratory virus season, and important ways that state and territorial health departments are leading here and that folks can protect themselves.

SILVERS: 

ASTHO CEO, Dr. Joseph Kanter, welcomed press to a deskside briefing this Wednesday focused on the preparations for the upcoming respiratory virus season. ASTHO CMO, Dr. Susan Kansagra, was joined by Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president and state health officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health, Dr. Ayanna Bennett, director of the District of Columbia Department of Health, and Dr. Manisha Juthani, ASTHO president-elect and commissioner for the Connecticut Department of Public Health, who you can hear right here.

MANISHA JUTHANI: 

I think one of the things that we're working on, as well is to continue to have the Connecticut Department of Public Health be a trusted source of information for people in the community.

SILVERS: 

ASTHO member, Dr. Ayanna Bennett from the District of Columbia, spoke about the importance of caring for the entire community they serve.

AYANNA BENNETT: 

We also have to think about the whole system and the whole community, and that means that being aware that there are communities that have less access, and how do we get it to them?

SILVERS: 

ASTHO president Dr. Scott Harris of Alabama says continuing to speak directly to communities is essential.

SCOTT HARRIS: 

We don't think that we necessarily have the same authoritative voice that we might have had a decade ago in trying to guide people in what to do, but we do believe that people trust their health care providers in most cases, and are certainly willing to listen to them.

SILVERS: 

The participating members also discussed recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. We'll have more from the briefing next week.

A new ASTHO blog article shares best practices for case investigation and contact tracing, or CI/CT. Erica McGowan, senior director of emerging infectious disease at ASTHO, explains how her experience in ASTHO's Foundations in CI/CT course has better prepared her for public health emergencies.

ERICKA MCGOWAN: 

So, when I look at outbreaks now and how the systems that are needed for public health professionals to do an investigation, I look at it with a stronger focus and how important it is to consider equity and clear communication and be proactive in order to contribute positively to an outbreak investigation.

SILVERS: 

McGowan says she recently applied the skills she learned during an outbreak on a college campus.

MCGOWAN: 

The training was, you know, a critical contribution to the broader investigation. It gave us a clear framework of how to act fast, communicate effectively, and to limit further spread. So yeah, it really made a difference in how we coordinated across teams and engaged the campus community.

SILVERS: 

McGowan adds that emergency preparedness is something everyone should understand.

MCGOWAN: 

CI/CT training should not be limited just to infectious disease departments and bureaus in our state and territorial and local health departments. It's really important to understand that all public health professionals, regardless of their focus area, can benefit from understanding how outbreaks work.

SILVERS: 

You can read the full blog article now by clicking on the link in the show notes.

Also, a new ASTHO brief breaks down succession planning to help public health departments develop a proactive strategy to address workforce challenges. Head to the show notes to learn how your agency can develop future leaders and retain institutional knowledge amid ongoing retirements and staff turnover.

Finally, if you're looking for more information about succession planning, ASTHO will hold the first of a three-part webinar on Thursday, September 4, to explore building a future-ready public health workforce. The first session will cover what succession planning is and how to align it with agency goals. You can register for the event using the link in the show notes.

That'll do it for today. We're back on Monday morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Janson Silvers. You're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great weekend.