Chronic Disease Episodes

1073: Coverage, Consequences, and the Leaders Shaping Public Health’s Future
Feb. 20, 2026

1073: Coverage, Consequences, and the Leaders Shaping Public Health’s Future

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:...
1072: From Rural Dollars to Dinner Plates: Turning Big Federal Policy Into Real Health Gains
Feb. 19, 2026

1072: From Rural Dollars to Dinner Plates: Turning Big Federal Policy Into Real Health Gains

Major federal investments and national guidance can shape the future of public health, but only if states can turn policy into practice. This episode looks at two sweeping developments and the on-the-groundwork required to make them matter. First, Chris Salyers, director of programs and evaluation …
1055: Healthy Choices, Healthy Places: State Strategies for Population Health
Jan. 21, 2026

1055: Healthy Choices, Healthy Places: State Strategies for Population Health

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 m…
1053: Preventing Diabetes and Improving Access: Food, Insulin, and Public Health Policy
Jan. 15, 2026

1053: Preventing Diabetes and Improving Access: Food, Insulin, and Public Health Policy

Diabetes remains one of the most serious and costly chronic diseases facing communities today. In this episode, ASTHO Vice President of Community Health and Prevention, Christi Mackie, breaks down the differences between type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes, common symptoms parents should watch…
1052: Strengthening Access to Care: Community Health Workers, Medicaid, and Rural Health
Jan. 14, 2026

1052: Strengthening Access to Care: Community Health Workers, Medicaid, and Rural Health

Community health workers (CHWs) play a critical role in bridging the gap between health systems and the communities they serve, especially in rural and underserved areas. In this episode, ASTHO Senior Director of Population Health, Alex Kearly, explains who CHWs are, how they build trust and addres…
1046: What State Policymakers Need to Know About Emerging Public Health Priorities in the New Year
Jan. 5, 2026

1046: What State Policymakers Need to Know About Emerging Public Health Priorities in the New Year

As part of our state health policy portfolio, ASTHO releases an annual Legislative Prospectus Series: policy briefs summarizing state and territorial legislation that impacts public health. Today, Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO’s CEO, will summarize the 2026 series, identify trends in public health law f…
1030: Rural Health in Focus: State Strategies for Transformation
Nov. 19, 2025

1030: Rural Health in Focus: State Strategies for Transformation

In this episode, health leaders from Iowa, Maine and Mississippi share their strategies for revitalizing rural healthcare. We hear excerpts from an ASTHO media briefing featuring ASTHO members as they address the urgent challenges facing millions of rural Americans, including healthcare provider sh…
1016: Harris Reflects on Presidential Term, TFAH Obesity Report
Oct. 22, 2025

1016: Harris Reflects on Presidential Term, TFAH Obesity Report

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 H…
986: Infant Mortality Programs, CHW Alzheimer’s Course
Sept. 9, 2025

986: Infant Mortality Programs, CHW Alzheimer’s Course

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...
976: New DELPH Cohort, Global Partnership for Telehealth
Aug. 25, 2025

976: New DELPH Cohort, Global Partnership for Telehealth

Keyonie 'Key' James, reproductive health unit manager with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, shares her takeaways as a recent graduate of ASTHO’s Developing Executive Leaders in Public Health program; Suleima Salgado, CEO of the Global Partnership for Telehealth and principal in…
964: MAHA Report, Subrecipient Monitoring
Aug. 7, 2025

964: MAHA Report, Subrecipient Monitoring

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 He…
955: Medicaid Modernization with Leidos
July 25, 2025

955: Medicaid Modernization with Leidos

Dr. Kris Mork, chief data officer for Leidos’ health & civil sector, explains how Leidos is modernizing Medicaid.
953: Reducing Falls, Disability Data Collection
July 23, 2025

953: Reducing Falls, Disability Data Collection

Amy Ciarlo, senior analyst for chronic disease risk factors at ASTHO, describes ASTHO’s new Health Policy Update on recent legislation focused on limiting the risk of older adult falls; Rebecca Ruvane, senior program analyst at the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, discusses...
936: Reducing Opioid Overdoses, FY26 Budget Breakdown
June 27, 2025

936: Reducing Opioid Overdoses, FY26 Budget Breakdown

Kelly Dougherty, deputy commissioner at the Vermont Department of Health, shares how drug testing has helped reduce the state’s opioid overdose deaths; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s senior director for government affairs, breaks down this week’s View From Washington, D.C. report on public health news from…
935: Federal Funding Cuts, Opioid Overdose Death Decline Strategies
June 26, 2025

935: Federal Funding Cuts, Opioid Overdose Death Decline Strategies

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, share more from Tuesday’s deskside briefing on the Impact of Nutrition on Chronic Dis…
934: ASTHO Deskside Briefing, Congressional Public Health Priorities
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…
933: ASTHO’s Policy Navigation Expertise, Pregnancy-Related Deaths Rise
June 24, 2025

933: ASTHO’s Policy Navigation Expertise, Pregnancy-Related Deaths Rise

Beth Giambrone, senior analyst for state health policy at ASTHO, discusses her role on the state health policy team in this installment of the Get to Know ASTHO segment; Dr. Rose Molina, associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School...
916: MAHA Report, School-Based Health Programs
May 29, 2025

916: MAHA Report, School-Based Health Programs

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...
903: New Lab Speeds Newborn Screening, Capitol Hill Efforts
May 9, 2025

903: New Lab Speeds Newborn Screening, Capitol Hill Efforts

Deputy secretary for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Ashley Goss, shares how her agency’s new health and environment laboratories are transforming public health response with expanded laboratory capabilities; Get to know ASTHO's Catherine Murphy...
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...
893: Youth Behavioral Health, CHWs in Island Areas
April 25, 2025

893: Youth Behavioral Health, CHWs in Island Areas

Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and an ASTHO member, explains how his state is taking action for youth behavioral health; Aurora GrantWingate, member and partner engagement manager at the National Association of...
888: Historic Strides For Overdose Prevention, SLF Advocacy Roundup
April 18, 2025

888: Historic Strides For Overdose Prevention, SLF Advocacy Roundup

Dr. Allison Arwady, director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC, tells us about historic progress in the field of overdose prevention; Catherine Murphy, ASTHO government affairs analyst, discusses the advocacy effort...
877: Getting Further Faster Webinar, CNMI Capitol Hill Needs
April 3, 2025

877: Getting Further Faster Webinar, CNMI Capitol Hill Needs

John Vick, director of the Office of Primary Prevention at the Tennessee Department of Health, discusses how important partnerships are since many industries affect public health; Esther Muna, chief executive officer of the CNMI Commonwealth...
876: PH Workforce Lessons, Interagency Leadership Convening
April 2, 2025

876: PH Workforce Lessons, Interagency Leadership Convening

Ryan Jury, assistant division director for operational excellence with the Department of Health and Human Services in North Carolina, tells us what he has learned from the ASTHO Leadership Institute and the ASTHO Spring Leadership Forum; Justa Encarnacion...