Community Partnerships Episodes

Dec. 1, 2025

1034: Public Health at a Crossroads: Trust, Storytelling, and the Future of the Field

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 …
Nov. 25, 2025

1032: Best of PHRME: CHW Funding Models, Public Health Job Applications

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 mode…
Nov. 24, 2025

1031: Public Health Wins: Reductions in RSV Hospitalizations and Overdose Rates Nationwide

On this Public Health Thank You Day, ASTHO’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Susan Kansagra, joins us to share encouraging news from the front lines of public health. Thanks to increased partnerships with birthing hospitals and the rollout of monoclonal antibodies for infants and the maternal RSV vaccin…
Nov. 17, 2025

1028: Leading Through Change: Adaptive Leadership in Public Health

Public health is at a crossroads. In this episode, Lillian Shirley and Itta Johnson from Public Consulting Group discuss how adaptive leadership can help rebuild trust, strengthen community partnerships, and drive meaningful change across systems. Drawing from real-world initiatives, they share pra…
Nov. 4, 2025

1025: From The Ground Up: PHIG In Action In Kansas

In today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, Jade Ramsdell, performance improvement director with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), shares how KDHE is using the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG)...
Oct. 28, 2025

1020: Vaccine Confidence Strategy, HEP FREE 2030

Dr. Novneet Sahu, deputy commissioner for public health at the New Jersey Department of Health, discusses his state’s multi-pronged strategy to improve vaccine access and address vaccine confidence in response to a national rise in pediatric flu deaths; Thaddeus Pham, viral hepatitis prevention coo…
Oct. 2, 2025

1003: Anniversary Accomplishments, FHIR Pilot Program

Dr. Edward Simmer, ASTHO member and interim director of the South Carolina Department of Public Health, celebrates the department’s one-year anniversary with a recap of their achievements, including the highest health ranking in the state’s history; Dr. Bryant Thomas Karras, the Washington State De…
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…
Aug. 28, 2025

979: Technical Assistance Infrastructure, Community Health Worker Awareness Week

Christy Roby, local public health performance section supervisor with Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, explains how her agency developed a new technical assistance infrastructure referral system; Chelsea Cipriano, managing director of the Common Health Coalition...
Aug. 5, 2025

962: Data Modernization + PHIG

In today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, Dr. Brooke Cunningham, ASTHO member and the commissioner of health for the Minnesota Department of Health, discusses how her department is using the Public Health Infrastructure Grant.
July 30, 2025

958: Public Health & Politics, Community Connections Through Storytelling

Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, epidemiologist and CEO of Your Local Epidemiologist, addresses the intersection between health and politics and provides words of encouragement to her fellow colleagues in public health; Grace Lee, senior analyst for infectious disease infrastructure and policy at ASTHO...
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...
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…
April 24, 2025

892: PH Social Media Tool, Timely STI Testing

Adrienne Ammerman, founder and CEO of Arclet, explains how her platform will help health communicators; Amelia Poulin, ASTHO assistant director of emerging infectious disease, breaks down a blog article on what states are doing to combat syphilis and...
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...
April 15, 2025

885: PHIG Funds PH Residency Program

Dr. Jamie Means, workforce development director for the Metro Public Health Department of Nashville and Davidson County, explains how they have used Public Health Infrastructure Grant dollars to fund a public health residency program in the latest PHIG Impact Report.
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...
Feb. 26, 2025

851: STI Surveillance Report, Maryland “SHIP” A Team Effort

Dr. Bradley Stoner, director of the Division of STD Prevention at the CDC, reports the findings in the latest STI Surveillance report; Katherine Feldman, chief performance Officer at the Maryland Department of Health, details the success of...
Feb. 24, 2025

849: Revamped Onboarding Shows Results, PHIG Year 2 Success

Kyle Mangloña, onboarding experience manager at the Washington State Department of Health, tells us about the department’s revamped onboarding program; Lindsey Myers, ASTHO vice president for Public Health Workforce and Infrastructure, gives us an...
Feb. 3, 2025

835: Mission Zero, NASTAD Progress

Patricia Tilley, associate commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and an ASTHO member, discusses New Hampshire’s Mission Zero; Dr. Stephen Lee, the executive director of the National Alliance of State and...
Jan. 27, 2025

830: Safe States Alliance New Leadership, STRETCH 2.0 National Convening

Sharon Gilmartin, the new executive director of Safe States Alliance, discusses her new position and her goals for the organization; John Auerbach, senior vice president for public health at ICF and a speaker at the upcoming STRETCH 2.0 national convening,...
Nov. 7, 2024

787: Racism Affects Youth, Epidemiology Assessment Bears Mixed Results

Dr. James Huynh, assistant professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, discusses what the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey says about racism; Sarah Auer, program analyst for the...
Oct. 21, 2024

774: Elimination of Health Inequities, Partnering With Community Action Agencies

Dr. Sejal Hathi, Director of the Oregon Health Authority and an ASTHO Member, dives into her state’s strategic plan to eliminate health inequities by 2030; Shalini Nair, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Infectious Disease, wrote an article about ASTHO’s...
Oct. 15, 2024

770: Dementia Public Awareness Campaign, PH WINS Survey Out Now

Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and an ASTHO Member, dives into the state’s first-ever statewide public awareness campaign focused on dementia; Dr. Rachel Hare Bork, director of...