Dr. Gillian Schauer, director of the Cannabis Regulators Association, discusses the recent Cannabis Regulators Association external stakeholders meeting; Amelia Poulin, ASTHO assistant director of emerging infectious disease...
Dr. Gillian Schauer, director of the Cannabis Regulators Association, discusses the recent Cannabis Regulators Association external stakeholders meeting; Amelia Poulin, ASTHO assistant director of emerging infectious disease, tells us about ASTHO’s new INSPIRE: Readiness web page focused on infectious disease preparedness; an upcoming three-part ASTHO webinar series will focus on succession planning; and join the PHIG National Partners for an informational webinar introducing Wave 2 of the Public Health Data Modernization Implementation Center Program on August 26.
ASTHO Web Page: Innovative Solutions to Mitigate Infectious Disease Outbreaks
ASTHO Webinar: Succession Planning Part 1 of 3 – Building the Case for Succession Planning
ASTHO Webinar: Public Health Data Modernization Implementation Center Program
JANSON SILVERS:
This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Friday, August 22, 2025. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
GILLIAN SCHAUER:
Regulators, in their roles in their states, often hear from certain loud stakeholder groups in their state, they may not hear from a wide variety of perspectives, and our goal is to bring all of those perspectives together.
SILVERS:
The Cannabis Regulators Association, or CANNRA, recently held its external stakeholder meeting to discuss education, best practices, and new challenges in the cannabis space. Dr. Gillian Schauer, CANNRA's executive director, tells us more about the meeting and how it can serve as a learning opportunity for all public health leaders.
SCHAUER:
Our panels are moderated by a regulator who asks questions of stakeholders to try to understand the context behind their positions, to try to understand new ideas that they may be entering into, regulatory discussions, and to talk about challenging issues in a cross-cutting way.
SILVERS:
One challenge, for example, most public health data systems focus on marijuana or cannabis, but don't mention hemp products, which are being used more and more frequently by consumers.
SCHAUER:
They may not be responding to surveillance questions about marijuana, thinking about their hemp products, and so, we really increasingly have less of a full picture of what the public health and safety implications are from the consumption of cannabinoids in the market.
SILVERS:
Schauer says CANNRA is a valuable, nonpartisan resource that many state and local health officials may already have access to.
SCHAUER:
Many of your listeners are probably in a member state and don't realize it. More than half of our states have joined at a statewide level that allows not just their regulatory agency but any state agency official to get involved, to participate in committees
SILVERS:
To learn more about CANNRA and the resources available to your department, we have a link to their website in the show notes.
ASTHO's new INSPIRE: Readiness webpage provides the actionable resources that jurisdictions may need to help them strengthen their infectious disease preparedness. ASTHO's Amelia Poulin shares how studying tuberculosis control practices can allow public health leaders to respond to other outbreaks more effectively.
AMELIA POULIN:
So, we're focused on TB as a lens to view infectious disease preparedness more broadly. And so there's a section that's around relating to other infectious disease areas and common challenges. There's a section on how to be inspired by successes in TB and how to bring that back to other programs. And then there's a section on tools.
SILVERS:
Poulin says tuberculosis presents public health agencies with a real-world model for understanding the same challenges that exist for other pathogens.
POULIN:
So, TB carries stigma that can delay diagnosis and complicate contact tracing and reduce treatment adherence, and we see stigma that's been tied to emerging threats like Ebola, and mpox, COVID-19, which also reminds us that trust-building and culturally tailored messaging and community partnerships are really just as vital as clinical capacity.
SILVERS:
Poulin adds that proactive education plays a key role in preparedness.
POULIN:
TB, like other emerging infectious disease threats, may not be commonly seen by providers until there's an outbreak, and so, investing in provider education helps providers see these diseases as an option in their diagnostic scheme.
SILVERS:
You can check out the INSPIRE: Readiness webpage on ASTHO's website now. We have a link in the show notes.
Also, an upcoming three-part ASTHO webinar series will focus on succession planning. Part one is on September 4, and you'll hear from the various speakers right here on this newscast in upcoming episodes. Click the link in the show notes to register today.
Finally, on Tuesday, August 26, join the PHIG National Partners for an informational webinar introducing Wave two of the Public Health Data Modernization Implementation Center Program. There will be speakers from CDC, PHAB, ASTHO, and NNPHI. Learn more by clicking 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.
