ASTHO Alumni Episodes

1065: Steady Hands: Leading Public Health Teams Through Chaos Without Losing Your Cool
Feb. 9, 2026

1065: Steady Hands: Leading Public Health Teams Through Chaos Without Losing Your Cool

What does calm leadership actually look like when everything feels urgent, political, and on fire?  In this episode, John Auerbach, senior vice president of health at ICF, offers a preview of ASTHO’s upcoming Insight & Inspiration webinar, 'Steady Hands, Steady Teams: Leading with Confidence and Co…
1058: From AI to Outbreaks: Tools, Trust, and the Future of Public Health
Jan. 27, 2026

1058: From AI to Outbreaks: Tools, Trust, and the Future of Public Health

What does the future of public health look like when cutting-edge technology collides with persistent, preventable disease threats? Senior Vice President of Health at ICF and ASTHO alum John Auerbach joins us to break down how artificial intelligence can be responsibly and realistically introduced …
997: CHW Funding Models, Public Health Job Applications
Sept. 24, 2025

997: CHW Funding Models, Public Health Job Applications

Maria Courogen, executive director for the Center for Access to Whole Person Care at the Washington State Department of Health, explains how her state worked to enable the continued support of community health workers (CHWs) by developing a sustainable funding model; Dr. Heather Krasna, associate d…
994: Healthy Aging Tactics, PH Funding on the Hill
Sept. 19, 2025

994: Healthy Aging Tactics, PH Funding on the Hill

JW Randolph, deputy commissioner at the Tennessee Department of Health, shares how his state’s new Office for Healthy Aging has been successful in coordinating statewide efforts to care for Tennessee’s aging communities; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s senior director for government affairs, provides an upd…
985: Rural Health Transportation Program, Workplace Communication Skills
Sept. 8, 2025

985: Rural Health Transportation Program, Workplace Communication Skills

Dr. Dan Edney, ASTHO member and state health officer of the Mississippi State Department of Health, and Dr. Susan Kansagra, chief medical officer at ASTHO, discuss the Rural Health Transformation Program and the recent ASTHO panels that covered what states can expect and how some agencies are prepa…
983: Accessible Public Health Data; Disaster Preparedness
Sept. 4, 2025

983: Accessible Public Health Data; Disaster Preparedness

Former ASTHO president Dr. Anne Zink, senior clinical fellow at Yale University and practicing emergency medicine physician, shares how PopHIVE, a database of de-identified, population-level health data, draws data from various sources, allowing public health providers to find patterns and make inf…
982: Collated Public Health Data; Succession Planning
Sept. 3, 2025

982: Collated Public Health Data; Succession Planning

Former ASTHO president Dr. Anne Zink, senior clinical fellow at Yale University and practicing emergency medicine physician, shares how PopHIVE, an interactive database of de-identified, population-level health data, can help public health providers navigate health trends in their respective jurisd…
968: Long COVID Education, Shah Addresses Public Health Leaders
Aug. 13, 2025

968: Long COVID Education, Shah Addresses Public Health Leaders

Dr. Michelle Morse, acting commissioner and chief medical officer for the New York City Health Department, explains how the city’s new video series aims to help educate communities about the impact of Long COVID; Dr. Nirav Shah, ASTHO alum and former principal deputy director at the CDC, discusses …
959: Overdose Death Reduction, ASTHO Data Modernization Resources
July 31, 2025

959: Overdose Death Reduction, ASTHO Data Modernization Resources

Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, ASTHO member and chief medical executive for the State of Michigan, explains how Michigan’s multifaceted approach has reduced overdose deaths across the state; Heidi Westermann, director of public health data modernization and informatics at ASTHO...
956: Suicide Prevention Legal Mapping, Applied Public Health Training
July 28, 2025

956: Suicide Prevention Legal Mapping, Applied Public Health Training

Ali Maffey, vice president of social and behavioral health at ASTHO, explains how ASTHO’s new legal map assists with suicide prevention infrastructure; Noell Stone, practicum and capstone director at the University of New Mexico’s College of Population Health...
947: PH Workforce Survey, STI Education Credits
July 15, 2025

947: PH Workforce Survey, STI Education Credits

Dr. Brian Castrucci, president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, shares how the 2024 PH WINS survey can help state and local health departments develop more strategic workforce development plans; Dr. David Spach, editor-in-chief of the National STD Curriculum...
946: Stay Cool Campaign, Telling The Public Health Story
July 14, 2025

946: Stay Cool Campaign, Telling The Public Health Story

Kristin Raab, director of the Minnesota Climate and Health Program at the Minnesota Department of Health, shares how the state’s “Stay Cool Minnesota” campaign is working to protect Minnesotans against the negative health effects of extreme heat; ASTHO alum, Dr. Matthew Christiansen, chief medical …
945: Workforce Capacity, BBB Public Health Impacts
July 11, 2025

945: Workforce Capacity, BBB Public Health Impacts

Maggie Nilz, senior analyst for preparedness at ASTHO, explains how states can help support public health preparedness workforce resilience and capacity; Carolyn Mullen, senior vice president of government affairs and public relations at ASTHO, shares what Congress has been busy with in this week’s…
941: Integration of AI, Effective Public Health Comms
July 7, 2025

941: Integration of AI, Effective Public Health Comms

Dr. Jay K. Varma, physician and epidemiologist with the Community Healthcare Network, describes the importance of embracing new AI technologies in public health; Dr. Amanda Simanek, associate professor at the Chicago Medical School and Director of the Michael Reese Foundation Center for Health Equi…
913: 100 Miles in May, Gathering Community Engagement Metrics
May 23, 2025

913: 100 Miles in May, Gathering Community Engagement Metrics

Dr. Anne Zink, former ASTHO president and a senior clinical fellow at the Yale School of Public Health, describes the 100 Miles in May challenge; Anna Bradley, ASTHO senior analyst for public health infrastructure and performance improvement, discusses how...
908: Measles Outbreak Simulator, HHS Secretary Testifies
May 16, 2025

908: Measles Outbreak Simulator, HHS Secretary Testifies

Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and an ASTHO member, tells us why his department wanted to create a dashboard focused on measles; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director of government affairs...
907: Suicide Capacity Assessment, Global Accessibility Awareness Day
May 15, 2025

907: Suicide Capacity Assessment, Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Alex Karydi, states and territories initiatives director at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, details a recent assessment from SPRC that looked at the ability of states and territories to prevent suicide successfully; Emily Lapayowker, ASTHO’s assistant director of web content, uses Global Ac…
Ep 904: Childhood Obesity Report, States Act on Food Dyes
May 12, 2025

Ep 904: Childhood Obesity Report, States Act on Food Dyes

Rita Condon, program manager for obesity, nutrition, and physical activity with the New Mexico Department of Health, discusses the agency’s annual Childhood Obesity Update and the new initiatives in place to promote healthy eating; Andy Baker-White, senior director for state health policy...
897: Baston Steps Down, AI for Vaccine Misbelief Correction
May 1, 2025

897: Baston Steps Down, AI for Vaccine Misbelief Correction

Dr. Kaitlan Baston, ASTHO alum and the former New Jersey commissioner of health, reflects on her time in the role as she steps down; Dr. Hang Lu, assistant professor in the department of communication and media at the University of Michigan, discusses an...
895: Opioid Efforts, Long COVID Programming
April 29, 2025

895: Opioid Efforts, Long COVID Programming

Dr. Kaitlan Baston, former commissioner of health for the New Jersey Department of Health and ASTHO alumni, outlines what New Jersey has been doing to address opioids; Kate Murray, program supervisor for Long COVID and post-COVID conditions at the...
890: Remembering Mary Selecky, Take Down Tobacco Day
April 22, 2025

890: Remembering Mary Selecky, Take Down Tobacco Day

Dr. John Wiesman, Associate Dean for Practice at UNC Chapel Hill, remembers his former mentor, Mary Selecky, who passed away on April 7; Finn Lanning, Youth Tobacco Prevention Coordinator for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, tells us...
879: National Public Health Week Kicks Off, Veteran Health
April 7, 2025

879: National Public Health Week Kicks Off, Veteran Health

Alexis Travis, ASTHO Alumni Society chair, and assistant provost and executive director of University Health and Wellbeing at Michigan State University, details a few priorities for National Public Health Week; Arnice Yuji, Director of the Bureau of Health System Administration...
847: Youth Behavioral Health, Khaldun Heads PHAB
Feb. 20, 2025

847: Youth Behavioral Health, Khaldun Heads PHAB

Heidi Hedberg, commissioner for the Alaska Department of Health and an ASTHO member, tells us about Alaska's Youth Behavioral Health Roadmap; Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, former ASTHO member and the newest president and CEO of the Public Health Accreditation...
813: Enhance PH Workforce Retention, PH Kiosk Project Launch
Dec. 18, 2024

813: Enhance PH Workforce Retention, PH Kiosk Project Launch

Allison Budzinski, ASTHO senior workforce analyst, tells us small and important steps to support the public health workforce; Shane Gausepohl, communications and equity coordinator for Del Norte County Public Health, explains the Community Health...