COVID-19 Episodes

116: Data Modernization Report Card
Feb. 10, 2022

116: Data Modernization Report Card

Dr. David Adinaro, New Jersey’s Deputy Commissioner for Public Health, evaluates the state of the nation’s public health data and information infrastructure; Dr. Joseph Gaugler, Director of the BOLD Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia...
111: How to Modernize PH Data
Feb. 3, 2022

111: How to Modernize PH Data

Joanne Pearsol, ASTHO’s Director of Workforce Development, says more than 40,000 public health professionals responded to the latest PHWins survey; Dr. Jamie Pina, ASTHO’s Vice President of Public Health Data Modernization, offers a plan to...
109: Reflections on Black History Month
Feb. 1, 2022

109: Reflections on Black History Month

Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, reflects on current events in the context of Black History Month, on the first day of the month-long recognition; Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO’s President-elect, considers the...
107: Immunization Opportunities
Jan. 28, 2022

107: Immunization Opportunities

Rachael Banks, Oregon’s Director of Public Health, says the focus on immunizations during the pandemic is a perfect opportunity to expand the public health conversation. Immunizations are one of ASTHO’s top 10 policy issues to watch in 2022;...
106: Contact Tracing’s Role Today
Jan. 27, 2022

106: Contact Tracing’s Role Today

ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia explains the latest thinking about how best to use case investigation and contact tracing to fight the Omicron variant; ASTHO joins several other national public health groups to issue a statement this...
105: Rural Health Needs
Jan. 26, 2022

105: Rural Health Needs

ASTHO and associations representing epidemiologists, counties, cities, and public health labs issue a statement supporting jurisdictions moving away from universal case investigation and contact tracing at this point in the pandemic; Dr. Ayne Amjad,...
104: Advancing Health Equity
Jan. 25, 2022

104: Advancing Health Equity

Paula Tran, Wisconsin’s State Health Officer, says it’s possible to maintain health equity priorities even as the pandemic continues to strain resources. Health equity is among the issues considered in a set of 10 ASTHO policy briefings focused on...
103: Ending the HIV Epidemic
Jan. 24, 2022

103: Ending the HIV Epidemic

Dr. Joseph Kanter, Louisiana’s State Health Officer, talks about fighting the HIV epidemic during the COVID-19 pandemic as ASTHO releases a set of 10 policy briefings focused on public health issues expected to be priorities this year; ASTHO offers...
102: Recalling COVID-19’s First Case Part 2
Jan. 21, 2022

102: Recalling COVID-19’s First Case Part 2

Dr. John Wiesman, the former Secretary of Health in Washington state, gives his assessment of the nation's pandemic response since the first COVID-19 case was discovered in his state two years ago this week. He discusses what has worked, what remains...
101: Recalling COVID-19's First Case Part 1
Jan. 20, 2022

101: Recalling COVID-19's First Case Part 1

Dr. John Wiesman, the former Secretary of Health in Washington state, reflects on the moment the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in his state and thus the U.S.; Dr. Alexis Travis, Michigan’s State Health Officer, says it’s never too late to...
100: Rethinking School Discipline Part 2
Jan. 19, 2022

100: Rethinking School Discipline Part 2

Robin Matthies, Director of Public and Behavioral Health Integration at ASTHO, explains why it’s important to consider restorative justice approaches to discipline in schools; Andy Baker-White, ASTHO’s Senior Director of State Health Policy, says...
96: COVID-19 Messaging Lessons
Jan. 12, 2022

96: COVID-19 Messaging Lessons

Robert Jennings, Executive Director of the National Public Health Information Coalition, discusses communications lessons learned during the pandemic; ProPublica journalist Caroline Chen hopes Congress reads her story about the funding public health...
95: ProPublica’s Syphilis Investigation – Part 2
Jan. 11, 2022

95: ProPublica’s Syphilis Investigation – Part 2

Dr. Joseph Kanter, Louisiana’s State Health Officer, explains the evolution of messaging required by the fast-moving Omicron variant during an appearance on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal morning show Monday; ProPublica journalist Caroline Chen...
93: Supreme Court Hears Vaccine Cases
Jan. 7, 2022

93: Supreme Court Hears Vaccine Cases

Lawrence Gostin, law professor at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington D.C., tells us what to expect from today’s Supreme Court hearing on two Biden Administration COVID vaccine mandates; ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser says states and...
92: School Nurses Navigate Omicron’s Surge
Jan. 6, 2022

92: School Nurses Navigate Omicron’s Surge

Dr. Linda Mendonca, President of the National Association of School Nurses, explains how her members are coping with students’ return to classrooms amid the threat of the Omicron variant; Robert Jennings, Executive Director of the National Public...
91: Immunization Proposals Await Action
Jan. 5, 2022

91: Immunization Proposals Await Action

Andy Baker White, ASTHO’s Senior Director of State Health Policy, discusses immunization proposals scheduled for consideration in legislatures across the nation; Caroline Chen, a journalist writing for ProPublica, connects syphilis to the public...
90: Helping Kids Hurt by COVID
Jan. 4, 2022

90: Helping Kids Hurt by COVID

ASTHO President Dr. Nirav Shah outlines four priorities he says must be at the top of the public health agenda in 2022; John Bridgeland, Co-Founder and CEO of the COVID Collaborative, discusses recommendations for helping children who’ve lost a...
89: Fighting COVID-19 in the Pacific
Dec. 21, 2021

89: Fighting COVID-19 in the Pacific

Karl Ensign, ASTHO’s Vice President of Territorial Support, shares lessons learned fighting COVID-19 in the U.S. territories; Kelly Wroblewski, Director of Infectious Disease Programs at the Association of Public Health Laboratories, says labs are...
88: Labs Prepared for Winter
Dec. 20, 2021

88: Labs Prepared for Winter

ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser hopes the new year signals a shift in the pandemic; Kelly Wroblewski, Director of Infectious Diseases for the Association of Public Health Laboratories, says labs are ready for whatever the pandemic brings this winter; ASTHO...
87: 2022 Public Health Policy Agenda
Dec. 17, 2021

87: 2022 Public Health Policy Agenda

ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia says even though everyone is tired of the pandemic, we can’t give up fighting the virus now; ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser, along with two other public health leaders, says the pandemic has been difficult but...
84: Vaccine Anniversary and Lawsuit
Dec. 14, 2021

84: Vaccine Anniversary and Lawsuit

Mike Fraser, ASTHO’s CEO, recognizes the first anniversary of a COVID-19 vaccine and discusses hesitancy; Professor Dorit Reiss, University of California Hastings College of the Law, examines the legal arguments behind a lawsuit challenging New York...
83: Senate Vaccine Mandate Resolution
Dec. 13, 2021

83: Senate Vaccine Mandate Resolution

Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, says it’s unlikely Congress will roll back one of President Biden’s vaccine mandates; Devon Page, a government affairs analyst at ASTHO, tells us how...
82: Vaccine Awareness
Dec. 10, 2021

82: Vaccine Awareness

Kim Martin, ASTHO’s Director of Immunization, tells us how an event like National Influenza Vaccination Week impacts vaccination awareness; ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser says communities weary of COVID-19 cannot afford to let their guard down; and Dr....
81: State of Vaccines
Dec. 9, 2021

81: State of Vaccines

Claire Hannan, Executive Director of the Association of Immunization Managers, says vaccines have benefited from the attention they’ve received during the pandemic; Jessica Baggett, ASTHO’s COVID-19 Response Director, says states and territories...