Environmental Health Episodes

1146: Budget Battles and Capitol Hill Updates
June 15, 2026

1146: Budget Battles and Capitol Hill Updates

On today's episode, Catherine Jones, senior analyst for government affairs at ASTHO, breaks down HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s FY27 budget hearings. Then, Jeffrey Ekoma, vice president of government affairs at ASTHO, highlights a recent Legislative Alert and developments in congressional ap…
1139: How North Dakota Built a Statewide Medical Cache for Emergencies and Everyday Needs
June 4, 2026

1139: How North Dakota Built a Statewide Medical Cache for Emergencies and Everyday Needs

On today's episode, Tim Wiedrich from the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services tells us how the state developed a unified public-private partnership that supports hospitals, public health agencies, EMS providers, and long-term care facilities.
Guest: Tim Wiedrich
1120: How Pacific Islands Are Facing a Growing Health Crisis
May 6, 2026

1120: How Pacific Islands Are Facing a Growing Health Crisis

Today, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Environmental Health Shelbi Davis shares how island communities are navigating some of the most severe climate-related health risks in the world, with limited infrastructure and strained public health systems.
1110: Building Better Food Systems: Inside Rhode Island’s Food Policy Council
April 21, 2026

1110: Building Better Food Systems: Inside Rhode Island’s Food Policy Council

On today's episode, Nessa Richman from the Rhode Island Food Policy Council discusses how the Council brings diverse stakeholders together to tackle complex food challenges.
1084: Building Resilient Food Systems: Why States Must Plan for the Next Disruption
March 11, 2026

1084: Building Resilient Food Systems: Why States Must Plan for the Next Disruption

On today's episode, Cornell University's Elsie Moore breaks down food system resilience and why it's more than just food supply maintenance.
1083: A Growing Threat: Preparing for the New World Screwworm
March 10, 2026

1083: A Growing Threat: Preparing for the New World Screwworm

On today's episode, ASTHO member Jennifer Shuford discusses how Texas is preparing for a potential return of New World screwworm, prompting proactive clinician alerts and enhanced environmental surveillance for detection and containment.
1063: How Public Health Prepares for Wildfire Season
Feb. 4, 2026

1063: How Public Health Prepares for Wildfire Season

Wildfire smoke is no longer a rare emergency; it’s a predictable, climate-driven public health threat. In this episode, Gabriela Goldfarb, environmental public health section manager for the Oregon Health Authority's Public Health Division, tells us why health agencies must begin outreach and coord…
1043: PHIG Funds Critical Services in New Hampshire
Dec. 16, 2025

1043: PHIG Funds Critical Services in New Hampshire

In today's PHIG Impact Report, Patricia Tilley, ASTHO member and associate commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, details the critical needs the Public Health Infrastructure Grant has helped address in her state.
1026: Best of PHRME: Public Health Data, Noise Exposure, and Community Resilience
Nov. 10, 2025

1026: Best of PHRME: Public Health Data, Noise Exposure, and Community Resilience

On today’s Best Of PHRME episode, we revisit an interview with ASTHO's Jennifer Layden, senior vice president for population health and innovation, who discusses how states are advancing data modernization and building creative partnerships to strengthen public health.
1020: Vaccine Confidence Strategy, HEP FREE 2030
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…
1019: PH Lessons From Wildfires, End-Of-Year Legislative Priorities
Oct. 27, 2025

1019: PH Lessons From Wildfires, End-Of-Year Legislative Priorities

Michelle Hale, preparedness program director with the Office of Preparedness and Response at the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, shares what her state learned about responding to critical public health challenges amid a surge of wildfires in the state; Catherine Murphy, senior analyst…
1007: Public Health Strategic Skills Guide, PHIG Procurement Upgrades
Oct. 8, 2025

1007: Public Health Strategic Skills Guide, PHIG Procurement Upgrades

Dr. Gen Meredith, associate professor with the Department of Public and Ecosystem Health at Cornell University, associate director of the Master of Public Health program, and director of Cornell’s Health Impact Score, explains how their new Public Health Strategic Skills Guide can help professional…
998: Recent ACIP Meeting, Emergency Preparedness Priorities
Sept. 25, 2025

998: Recent ACIP Meeting, Emergency Preparedness Priorities

Kim Martin, director of immunization at ASTHO, recaps the recent ACIP meeting that took place and discusses the conversation’s potential impacts on public health; Veronica Bryant, emergency preparedness and outbreak coordinator for North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' environment…
988: New Data Modernization Expertise, Hearing Loss and Public Health
Sept. 11, 2025

988: New Data Modernization Expertise, Hearing Loss and Public Health

Dr. Jen Layden, senior vice president for population health and innovation at ASTHO, discusses her previous experience in data modernization and what’s to come as she takes on her new role; Dr. Rick Neitzel, professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public H…
983: Accessible Public Health Data; Disaster Preparedness
Sept. 4, 2025

983: Accessible Public Health Data; Disaster Preparedness

Former ASTHO president Dr. Anne Zink, senior clinical fellow at Yale University and practicing emergency medicine physician, shares how PopHIVE, a database of de-identified, population-level health data, draws data from various sources, allowing public health providers to find patterns and make inf…
965: Leadership in Emergencies, PFAS Activity
Aug. 8, 2025

965: Leadership in Emergencies, PFAS Activity

Sam Jarvis, community health division manager at Johnson County Public Health in Iowa, explains how his DELPH experience helps him prepare others to be leaders in emergencies; applications for ASTHO’s DELPH program are now open; Heather Tomlinson, ASTHO senior analyst for environmental health, upda…
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…
958: Public Health & Politics, Community Connections Through Storytelling
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...
946: Stay Cool Campaign, Telling The Public Health Story
July 14, 2025

946: Stay Cool Campaign, Telling The Public Health Story

Kristin Raab, director of the Minnesota Climate and Health Program at the Minnesota Department of Health, shares how the state’s “Stay Cool Minnesota” campaign is working to protect Minnesotans against the negative health effects of extreme heat; ASTHO alum, Dr. Matthew Christiansen, chief medical …
942: PHIG Funds Critical Services
July 8, 2025

942: PHIG Funds Critical Services

In today's PHIG Impact Report, Patricia Tilley, associate commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, details the critical needs the Public Health Infrastructure Grant has helped with in her state.
926: Data to Reduce Heat Injuries, Public Health Rumors
June 12, 2025

926: Data to Reduce Heat Injuries, Public Health Rumors

Dr. James McDonald, ASTHO member and commissioner of the New York State Department of Health, discusses the State’s Heat Risk and Illness Dashboard and how it can reduce heat-related injury; Dr. Tara Kirk Sell, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security...
911: Admin. Preparedness Key In Emergencies, Mosquito Control Trends
May 21, 2025

911: Admin. Preparedness Key In Emergencies, Mosquito Control Trends

Julia McIlroy, procurement content manager for the National Association of State Procurement Officials, discusses administrative preparedness for public health emergencies...
899: Preventing Lead Exposure, Disability Definition
May 5, 2025

899: Preventing Lead Exposure, Disability Definition

Brian Weaver, lead policy advisor at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, tells us about an emergency rule to strengthen standards that protect children from lead exposure; Annie Evans, ASTHO’s director of preparedness, discusses a recent...
896: Get To Know ASTHO, PH in the Classroom
April 30, 2025

896: Get To Know ASTHO, PH in the Classroom

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, begins the new “Get To Know ASTHO” series, which will highlight different experts at ASTHO; Madison Yerges, section supervisor for the student education section at the Center for Foundational Health, part of the...