ASTHO President Episodes

June 25, 2025

934: ASTHO Deskside Briefing, Congressional Public Health Priorities

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; Ca…

Guests: Joseph Kanter MD MPH , James McDonald MD MPH , Ralph Alvarado MD FACP , Catherine Jones MPH , Lindsay Weaver MD

June 23, 2025

932: ASTHO Board of Directors Meeting, Dialysis Education Program

Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president and state health officer with the Alabama Department of Public Health, discusses takeaways from the most recent ASTHO Board of Directors meeting; Alex Kurutz, dialysis epidemiologist for the Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Program at t…

Guests: Scott Harris MD MPH FACP FIDSA , Alex Kurutz MPH

May 8, 2025

902: Data Dashboards, Design Your Own Accreditation

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;...

Guests: Natasha Bagdasarian MD MPH , David Stone MS

April 11, 2025

883: National Public Health Week, ASTHO Priorities to Congress

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, highlights public health workers as National Public Health Week wraps up this weekend; Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president and Alabama state health officer, outlines public health priorities to Congress; Jacki Tulafono,...

Guests: Scott Harris MD MPH FACP FIDSA , Joseph Kanter MD MPH , Jacki Tulafono

April 10, 2025

882: Harris Testifies on Hill; 2025 TFAH Report

Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president and Alabama state health officer, testified before Congress about the needs of Public Health; Emi Chutaro, the executive director of the Pacific Island Health Officers Association, recently spoke to leaders on Capitol...

Guests: Scott Harris MD MPH FACP FIDSA , Emi Chutaro MSc , J. Nadine Gracia MD MSCE

April 9, 2025

881: Harris on Hill Today; Virtual Engagement Help

Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for government affairs, previews ASTHO president Dr. Scott Harris’ testimony before Congress today; Anna Bradley, ASTHO senior analyst with the public health infrastructure and performance improvement team,...

Guests: Jeffrey Ekoma , Anna Bradley MS

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...

Guests: Alexis Travis PhD , Arnice Yuji

Jan. 31, 2025

834: AI & PH Comms, HPAI Symposium Still Relevant

Robert Jennings, executive director of the National Public Health Information Coalition, is currently working on guidelines for AI use in public health communications; Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president and the state health officer for the Alabama...

Guests: Scott Harris MD MPH FACP FIDSA , Robert Jennings

Dec. 17, 2024

812: SAPHE 2.0 Promotes Equity, ASTHO President Weighs In On Bird Flu

Dr. Robert Goldstein, commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and an ASTHO Member, describes how SAPHE 2.0 will promote health equity throughout the state; Dr. Scott Harris, Alabama state health officer and ASTHO president, is...

Guest: Robert Goldstein MD PhD

Dec. 10, 2024

807: ASTHO President Praises PHIG

Dr. Scott Harris, State Health Officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health and the ASTHO President, tells us exactly how his state has benefited from PHIG.

Guest: Scott Harris MD MPH FACP FIDSA

Nov. 1, 2024

CMO Plescia Steps Away; Harris Sees Large Role for Public Health

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...

Guests: Scott Harris MD MPH FACP FIDSA , Marcus Plescia MD MPH

Oct. 24, 2024

777: Harris Embraces ASTHO Presidency, Boom-Bust Public Health Funding

Dr. Scott Harris, state health officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health and now ASTHO president, previews the upcoming year in his new role; Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez, correspondent for KFF Health News, discusses her article about public...

Guests: Scott Harris MD MPH FACP FIDSA , Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez

Oct. 23, 2024

776: Stack Reflects on ASTHO Presidency, Improving Recruitment and Retention in Public Health

Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health and current ASTHO President, tells us about ASTHO’s upcoming leadership transition; Madison Novosel, North Dakota’s Lead Program coordinator discusses the program’s new...

Guests: Steven Stack MD , Madison Novosel MPH

April 8, 2024

638: New ASTHO CEO Kanter Starts Today, Where to Talk About Emergency Preparedness

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, looks forward to a smooth transition as he begins his new job; Rebecca Adamson, preparedness section director at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, discusses the sixth day of National Public Health Week as...

Guests: Joseph Kanter MD MPH , Sameer Vohra MD JD MA FAAP , Rebecca Adamson DrPH MSN MPH APRN-C/FNC

March 6, 2024

615: Grad Considers DELPH Colleagues Family, New ASTHO CEO is “Nice, Kind, Caring”

Keon Lewis, equity and development coordinator for the Cabarrus Health Alliance, talks about his experience as a recent graduate of ASTHO’s DELPH program; Dr. Joseph Kanter is ASTHO’s new CEO and begins his role in April; Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO...

Guests: Joseph Kanter MD MPH , Steven Stack MD , Keon Lewis MHSA

March 5, 2024

614: New ASTHO CEO Announced

Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO president and commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, announces Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO alum, as incoming CEO; Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO’s newly-announced CEO, who joins ASTHO from the Louisiana Department of...

Guests: Joseph Kanter MD MPH , Steven Stack MD

Jan. 16, 2024

580: Reflections on Racial Healing, Readiness Website Launches Today

Natasha Harper-Levy, ASTHO director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, reflects on the National Day of Racial Healing’s value and purpose; Margaux Haviland, ASTHO director of Preparedness and Response Coordination, explains what users will see...

Guests: Margaux Haviland MPH , Steven Stack MD , Natasha Harper-Levy

Dec. 14, 2023

564: Flavored Tobacco Bans and Pricing Strategies, Respiratory Disease Guidance

Dr. Barbara Wallace, director of the Division of Chronic Disease Prevention at the New York State Department of Health, discusses various strategies to curb tobacco use; Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, worries that too many sick...

Guests: Steven Stack MD , Marcus Plescia MD MPH , Barbara Wallace MD MPH

Dec. 12, 2023

562: Harm Reduction Gets Legislative Attention, Tainted Applesauce Investigation Expands

Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO president and commissioner of public health for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, discusses substance misuse and overdose prevention strategies; Dr. Susan Kansagra, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services assistant...

Guests: Steven Stack MD , Susan Kansagra MD MBA

Nov. 20, 2023

548: Thankful for Public Health, New Guide to Manage Respiratory Illness

Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO president and commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health; extends his gratitude for Public Health Thank You Day; Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, discusses how ASTHO worked on a discussion guide...

Guests: Marcus Plescia MD MPH , Steven Stack MD , Brian Lentes MPA , Megin Nichols DVM MPH DACVPM

Nov. 2, 2023

537: Presidential Reflections, Medicaid Successes

Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska Chief Medical Officer and ASTHO Immediate Past President, reflects on her time at the head of the organization; Dr. Susan Kansagra (SHO-NC), North Carolina Assistant Public Health Secretary, says her agency...

Guests: Anne Zink MD FACEP , Susan Kansagra MD MBA

Oct. 27, 2023

533: ASTHO President Seeks Common Ground, Congress Moving Again

Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO’s New President and Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, wants to find common ground to push public health forward in his new role; Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of the American Public Health...

Guests: Carolyn Mullen , Georges Benjamin MD , Steven Stack MD

Oct. 26, 2023

532: New ASTHO President, Licensing Questions May Promote Stigma

Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO’s new President and Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, previews his goals for the upcoming year; Jacqueline Howard, a CNN Health Reporter, reacts to the idea that questions on licensing forms may...

Guests: Steven Stack MD , Jacqueline Howard