ASTHO Members Episodes

On today's episode, ASTHO's Sara Bell and Alice Schenall discuss how public health agencies can turn strategic plans into measurable progress and lead through change and uncertainty.

On today's episode, ASTHO member Naomi Adeline-Biggs discusses the development of Oregon’s five-year State Health Improvement Plan.

On today's episode, ASTHO member Robert Goldstein discusses why Massachusetts recently made alpha-gal syndrome a reportable condition and the benefits of expanded case surveillance.

On today's episode, ASTHO member Ayanna Bennett discusses the Potomac River sewage spill, the public health risks it created, and the coordination required between local, state, and federal agencies to protect residents. Later, ASTHO’s Jen Layden explains why partnerships are central to ASTHO’s 2026–2029 strategic plan.

On today's episode, ASTHO member and State Health Officer Daniel Edney explains what’s driving the infant mortality crisis and what it will take to improve infant outcomes, including the roles of maternal health, obesity, and preterm births.

On today's episode, Victor Ramos Otero, secretary of health for Puerto Rico, joins the show to discuss the urgent challenges facing the island’s health care system.

On today's episode, ASTHO member James McDonald returns to the show to unpack the state’s investment in the new, state-of-the-art Wadsworth Center Laboratory.

On today's episode, Justa Encarnacion, ASTHO member and commissioner of health for the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Health, shared how island jurisdictions are tackling some of the nation’s toughest health challenges using real-time data, advanced training, and wastewater surveillance.

On today's episode, ASTHO member Jennifer Shuford discusses how Texas is preparing for a potential return of New World screwworm, prompting proactive clinician alerts and enhanced environmental surveillance for detection and containment.

In today's episode, hear updates from ASTHO's Spring Leadership Forum. ASTHO member Natasha Bagdasarian shares how bipartisan conversations with members of Congress revealed a shared commitment to healthier communities. Plus, ASTHO's Carolyn Mullen provides a behind-the-scenes look at meetings with lawmakers during Hill Day.

In this episode, ASTHO CEO, Dr. Joseph Kanter, shares key insights from this year’s Spring Leadership Forum, an in-person opportunity to exchange lessons learned, strengthen peer support, and tackle the complex realities facing public health leaders today. From a productive visit with leadership at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to renewed conversations about partnerships around healthy eating and chronic disease prevention, Dr. Kanter reflects on why strong federal–state coll...

Today, two conversations highlight how policy shapes public health, both in communities and on Capitol Hill. First, Beth Giambrone, senior analyst for state health policy at ASTHO, explains how states are rethinking their approach to hypertension. From telehealth and remote blood pressure monitoring to expanded insurance coverage, policymakers are leveraging new technology to improve heart health across the lifespan. Later, Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s senior director of government affairs, shares wha...

What happens when health coverage becomes unaffordable, and who’s stepping up to lead in moments like this? This episode connects two powerful public health stories. First, we break down the ACA enhanced premium tax credits: what they were, who they helped, and what’s at stake now that they’ve expired. Catherine Jones, senior analyst for government affairs at ASTHO, will explain how these pandemic-era subsidies dramatically expanded access to marketplace coverage, helping middle-income families...

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 Composure,' on February 11, and digs into the real-world skills behind steady leadership in volatile times. From pandemic burnout to nonstop crises, today’s public health leaders are navigating faster information cycles, rising mistrust, misinformation, and exhausted teams. So how do you keep people focused, grounded, and moving forward? We’ll also hear from Dr. Manisha Juthani, ASTHO president and Connecticut commissioner of public health, who is co-hosting the webinar.

Two very different challenges, and one shared public health reality: systems have to work when it matters most. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Erica Pan, director and state public health officer for the California Department of Public Health, and ASTHO member, about a rare and unprecedented infant botulism outbreak linked to contaminated infant formula. She explains how California’s unique BabyBIG® treatment program, home to the only infant botulism treatment in the world, helped detect a national pattern, how states coordinated with CDC and FDA, and the logistical strain of managing treatment supply, clinician hotlines, and public communication during a fast-moving emergency. Then, Alex Wheatley, senior director of island support at ASTHO, joins us to discuss a different kind of pressure point: helping U.S. Island jurisdictions navigate complex federal grant systems. She outlines a new resource designed to bridge gaps between federal funders and local health agencies, reduce misu…

How do states turn public health messaging into real behavior change and how do the places we live shape our health every day? In this episode, Dr. Steven Stack, secretary of Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services, discusses the 'Our Healthy Kentucky Home' campaign and what it takes to move beyond awareness to action. Dr. Stack, an ASTHO member and former ASTHO president, shares how Kentucky is using simple, achievable goals—eat healthier, move more, and stay socially connected—along with clear calls to action, trusted partners, and data-driven refinements to engage residents and build long-term, sustainable health improvements. Then, Clint Grant, director of healthy community design, chronic disease, and health improvement at ASTHO joins us to explore the growing role of healthy community design in public health. From transportation and road safety to green space and mobility, Grant explains how decisions about streets, sidewalks, and transit are some of the most powerful,…

As behavioral health and overdose crises continue to strain health systems, states are rethinking how and where care is delivered. In this episode, Dr. Jerome Larkin, the director of the Rhode Island Department of Health and an ASTHO member, explains how youth-focused mobile response and stabilization services provide rapid, in-home crisis care and keep children out of emergency departments and reduce the need for hospitalization. The conversation explores why Rhode Island moved to require insurance coverage for these services and how states can sustain them amid funding uncertainty. Later, ASTHO Senior Director of Overdose Prevention, Richa Ranade, discusses the evolving policy landscape around naloxone, including efforts to expand access in schools, libraries, and other public spaces to prevent overdose deaths.

As flu cases climb across the country and pediatric deaths rise, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, ASTHO member and Michigan’s chief medical executive, joins us to break down what this flu season means for families, health agencies, and health care systems.

New research out of New York shows that naloxone didn’t just save more than 6,500 lives in two years—it delivered one of the most dramatic returns on investment in public health. In this episode, Dr. James McDonald, ASTHO member and commissioner of the New York State Department of Health, breaks down the first statewide health-economic evaluation of naloxone administration.

In this episode, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health and ASTHO member Dr. Debra Bogen joins us to break down a major change in national vaccine guidance, and why it has sparked concern among pediatric and public health leaders.

In this episode, ASTHO member and Michigan Department of Health & Human Services Chief Medical Executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian breaks down a major development in national vaccine policy: the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP’s) decision to narrow its guidance on the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns.

Kentucky is experiencing its largest spike in whooping cough cases since 2012, an alarming rise that has already claimed the lives of three infants in the past year. In this episode, Dr. Steven Stack, secretary of Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services, joins us to unpack what’s driving the surge, why waning vaccination rates matter, and how misinformation is complicating public health response efforts.

In this episode, ASTHO’s Catherine Jones, senior analyst for government affairs, breaks down the 2025 federal government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, and what made it uniquely disruptive compared to the 2018–2019 closure.

On today’s Best Of PHRME episode, 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 dean of career and professional development at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.