COVID-19 Episodes

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,...
Guests: Devon Page , Ayne Amjad MD MPH
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...
Guests: Anne Zink MD FACEP , Paula Tran MPH
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...
Guests: Joseph Kanter MD MPH , John Wiesman DrPH MPH
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...
Guests: John Wiesman DrPH MPH , Katey Redmond MPH CPH
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...
Guests: Alexis Travis PhD , John Wiesman DrPH MPH
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...
Guests: Andy Baker-White JD MPH , Robin Matthies MSW
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...
Guests: Caroline Chen , Robert Jennings
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...
Guests: Joseph Kanter MD MPH , 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...
Guests: Michael Fraser PhD MS CAE FCPP , Lawrence Gostin JD LLD
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...
Guests: Linda Mendonca DNP MEd PHNA-BC NCSN FNASN , Robert Jennings
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...
Guests: Andy Baker-White JD MPH , Caroline Chen
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...
Guest: John Bridgeland JD
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...
Guests: Karl Ensign , Kelly Wroblewski
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...
Guest: Kelly Wroblewski
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...
Guests: Marcus Plescia MD MPH , Maggie Davis JD MA