ASTHO CMO Episodes

In this National Public Health Week conversation, ASTHO Chief Medical Officer, Susan Kansagra, explores how public health can better integrate innovation into everyday practice, from leveraging improvement frameworks to building partnerships with academic and research institutions.

ASTHO's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Susan Kansagra, joins us for a candid conversation about the state of public health today. She reflects on her unexpected path into the field, the urgent need to rebuild public trust, and why communicating the everyday value of public health is more critical than ever. Dr. Kansagra also explores how social media, new messengers, and emerging tools like AI can help reshape engagement, boost impact, and energize a workforce facing growing pressure. A motivating reminder that public health is a marathon, not a sprint, and that meaningful progress takes time, partnership, and persistence.

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.

Dr. Manisha Juthani, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, joins the show for the first time as ASTHO’s president to discuss her plans for the new term; Dr. Karen Hacker, health policy fellow at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, co-authored an article...

ASTHO immediate past president Dr. Scott Harris, state health officer with the Alabama Department of Public Health, reflects on his time as president as he closes out his term; Dr. Susan Kansagra, chief medical officer at ASTHO, served as a panelist during a press briefing for Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) on chronic disease prevention and obesity,...

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,...

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 preparing; Tim Rosselet, manager of digital learning and design at ASTHO, shares more about Thursday’s upcoming Ignite, Accelerate, and Activate webinar...

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, and Kate McEvoy, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, discuss a new partnership between the two organizations; Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO,...

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, 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, held a deskside briefing on the preparations for the upcoming respiratory virus season; Ericka McGowan, senior director of emerging infectious disease at ASTHO...

Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO senior vice president of government affairs and public relations, shares more of her story in this installment of "Get To Know ASTHO;" Juliane Walker, public health program specialist at the Wichita State University Community Engagement Institute, discusses the Public Health Employee Well-Being Assessment Guide...

Dr. Susan Kansagra, chief medical officer for ASTHO, discusses the recent Make America Healthy Again report, and the work done by state and territorial health departments that intersects with the report’s themes; Ryan Daly, deputy director of finance and operations for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health, explains...

Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, outlines the recent recall of Bicillin; Marie Stratton, Overdose Data to Action program manager at the Maryland Department of Health, explains...

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president, Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, Dr. Lindsay Weaver of Indiana, Dr. James McDonald of New York, and Dr. Ralph Alvarado of Tennessee, held a deskside briefing on the Impact of Nutrition on Chronic Disease Prevention; Catherine Jones, senior analyst of government affairs at ASTHO, shares...

Elizabeth Gunsalus, K-12 education and outreach project manager at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, explains how the department’s Mobile Lab Experience has been beneficial; Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, spoke at a recent Trust for America’s Health media briefing...

Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, offers details on the Make America Healthy Again report; Lexa Giragosian, ASTHO senior analyst for maternal and infant health, tells us about an ASTHO brief that zeroes in on adolescent health...

Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, provides updates on measles and the avian flu; Dr. Ralph Alvarado, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health and an ASTHO member...

Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive for the State of Michigan, explains the state’s Public Health Data Dashboard, which visualizes public health trends by district and helps to shape awareness of public health’s role in the community;...

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, begins the new “Get To Know ASTHO” series, which will highlight different experts at ASTHO; Madison Yerges, section supervisor for the student education section at the Center for Foundational Health, part of the...

Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO Chief Medical Officer, outlines the recommendations from the most recent ACIP meeting; Kathleen Amos, Director of Workforce Development at the Public Health Foundation, explains how Academic Health Department Partnerships can...

Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, offers an update on funding after a flurry of activity; Martha Hagen, consultant nutritionist with the Association of State Public Health Nutritionists, explains the cultural focus of new transition...

Dr. Susan Kansagra, former ASTHO member and most recently the assistant secretary and state health officer for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, has been named ASTHO’s new chief medical officer; Jennifer Schmidt, PHIG fund manager...

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, is stepping away from ASTHO after seven years in the position; Dr. Scott Harris, state health officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health and ASTHO president, says the next few years are...

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, discusses the supply and demand challenges impacting new RSV antibody products; Luke Kenley, former Indiana state senator, tells us how he helped lead the committee to develop and promote the public...

Margaux Haviland, ASTHO director for Preparedness and Response Coordination, shares that the Inspire Readiness website goes live on January 16; Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, wants public health to focus its COVID vaccine promotion...