Alzheimer's Episodes

On today's episode, ASTHO's Corinne Gillenwater discusses ASTHO’s updated e-learning course for community health workers (CHWs) on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, including information related to dementia risk reduction, early detection, caregiving, and more.

If the United States brought home a report card on maternal and infant health, it would need a serious parent–teacher conference. In this episode, Dr. Michael Warren, chief medical and health officer at March of Dimes, breaks down their 2025 Report Card on birth outcomes, and the headline is hard to ignore: the nation earns a D+ for preterm birth, with half of states receiving a D or F. But this isn’t just about grades. It’s about what’s driving poor outcomes and what public health leaders can actually do about it. Warren, a former state and federal public health leader, also shares how officials can use the report card as more than a headline, but as a tool to build urgency, strengthen partnerships across maternal health, chronic disease, and Medicaid, and push forward policy and funding priorities.

Dr. Susan Kansagra, chief medical officer at ASTHO, shares an update on rising RSV activity and how states are tracking trends during the federal shutdown. She highlights new tools that protect infants, including maternal vaccines and monoclonal antibodies, and explains how public health and birthing hospitals are partnering to expand access through the Vaccines for Children program. Early results show increased hospital enrollment and fewer RSV-related hospitalizations among infants.

Mickal Lewis, associate director of the Center of Excellence on Dementia Risk Reduction with the Alzheimer's Association, shares how community health workers play an essential role supporting a continuum of care for community members with dementia, and how public health leaders can help advance progress; Jeffrey Ekoma, senior director of government affairs at ASTHO, provides an update on the current government shutdown and explains how federal health agencies are impacted in this week’s View from Washington, D.C. report,...

Alfredo Ramirez, director of the Operation Analysis Office at the Tennessee Department of Health, explains how his department expanded its contract tracking system to enhance efficiency and manage grants across their life cycle; Kellie Waugh, analyst for health improvement and healthy aging at ASTHO,...

Dr. Lindsay Weaver, ASTHO member and state health commissioner of Indiana, discusses the public health programs that Indiana employed to achieve its lowest infant mortality rate in more than a century; Corinne Gillenwater, chronic disease and health improvement analyst at ASTHO...

Erin Penniston, chief of staff of public health services at the Maryland Department of Health, describes how ASTHO’s Peer Assessment Program helped her state’s health department strengthen its administrative infrastructure; Kelsey Tillema, senior analyst at ASTHO, shares...

Laura Harrington, professor in the department of entomology at Cornell University and director of the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases, explains how public health can combat tick-borne diseases; Beth Giambrone, ASTHO senior analyst for state health policy, discusses public health legislation in states around the country...

Brian King, executive vice president for U.S. programs at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, explains how state and local programs are the lifeblood of tobacco prevention; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO's senior director for government affairs, updates us...

Linda Helland, manager of the Climate Change and Health Equity Branch in the Office of Health Equity at the California Department of Public Health, tells us how the California Department of Public Health is working to incorporate health equity into...

Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and an ASTHO Member, dives into the state’s first-ever statewide public awareness campaign focused on dementia; Dr. Rachel Hare Bork, director of...

Jessica Fepelstein, analyst, State and Community Engagement, ASTHO, explains the health equity core concepts work that is happening as part of the STRETCH Initiative; Dr. Esther Muna, chief executive officer and territorial health official for the...

Patricia Tilley, director, Division of Public Health Services with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, discusses ASTHO’s sexual and reproductive health policy statement; Meghan Fadel, associate director, Healthy Brain...

Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer, ASTHO, examines ASTHO’s new webpage with a collection of evidence-based technical packages covering key public health concerns; J.T. Lane, senior vice president, Population Health and Innovation, ASTHO...

Dr. Puja Seth, the Healthy Aging Branch Chief at the CDC, shares a new state-focused program that aims to address dementia; Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman, the Deputy Secretary of Public Health at the Maryland Department of Health, explains that policy...

Dr. Jewell Mullen, Associate Dean for Health Equity in the Office of Health Equity at The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, offers her assessment of the work that still needs to be done to address Alzheimer’s and related concerns;...

Akin Demehin, Senior Director of Quality and Patient Safety Policy with the American Hospital Association, explains how hospitals are preparing for the possibility of another COVID-19 wave later this year; Dr. Mark Levine, Vermont Health Commissioner,...

Dr. Bruce Perry, psychiatrist and author, tells public health leaders how they can help their frontline workers manage stress caused by the pandemic; ASTHO has a new blog article that lists seven workforce trends to watch for in the coming years;...

Talyah Sands, ASTHO’s Director of Health Improvement, describes a new toolkit to help public health agencies assess cognitive health needs and promote healthy aging; ASTHO plans two webinars later today to explain its upcoming 2022 Profile of State...

Dr. Alexis Travis, Michigan’s Senior Deputy Director at the Department of Health and Human Services, explains her focus on caring for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias; Janet Hamilton, Executive Director of the Council of State and...