Environmental Health Episodes

Nov. 1, 2024

CMO Plescia Steps Away; Harris Sees Large Role for Public Health

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, is stepping away from ASTHO after seven years in the position; Dr. Scott Harris, state health officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health and ASTHO president, says the next few years are...
Oct. 23, 2024

776: Stack Reflects on ASTHO Presidency, Improving Recruitment and Retention in Public Health

Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health and current ASTHO President, tells us about ASTHO’s upcoming leadership transition; Madison Novosel, North Dakota’s Lead Program coordinator discusses the program’s new...
Oct. 11, 2024

769: Oropouche Response Plan, DELPH Applications Open Now

Dr. Roxanne Connelly, entomology and ecology team lead in the Arboviral Diseases Branch of the Division of Vector-Borne Diseases at the CDC, tells us about the CDC’s response plan for Oropouche Virus; Latoya Sahadeo, ASTHO’s Leadership Development...
Oct. 10, 2024

768: EEE Smart Scheduling, ASTHO DPHP Meeting Takeaways

Suzanne Bornschein, Rhode Island State Epidemiologist, outlines Rhode Island’s approach to combating Eastern Equine Encephalitis; Francesca Provenzano, Public Health Section Chief with the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health, tells us...
Sept. 18, 2024

752: EPA Wastewater Gap Initiative, New PH Warehouse Expansion

Zach Lowenstein, program manager with the EPA’s Office of Wastewater Management, discusses the Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap initiative; Jon Lujan, public health emergency preparedness program manager for the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services, details the...
Aug. 30, 2024

740: Mpox Advisory, New Communications Planning Guide

Chris Taylor, ASTHO director of Infectious Disease Outbreak Response and Recovery, discusses a new strain of Mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; a CDC advisory warns about an increase in cases of human parvovirus B19 in the U.S.; Kara Kane,...
Aug. 29, 2024

739: New Maternal Health Dashboards, Urine Tests Look for Chemicals in Minnesota Kids

Dr. Jennifer Shuford, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services and an ASTHO Member, discusses her state’s updated data dashboards; Dr. Jessica Nelson, program director and epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health,...
Aug. 6, 2024

722: NM Heat Dashboard, Vaccination Misinformation Continues

Dr. Chelsea Langer, program manager for the Environmental Health Program at the New Mexico Department of Health, explains the capabilities of the department’s HEAT dashboard; Amy Maxmen, public health correspondent at KFF Health News, tells us about...
May 23, 2024

671: Michigan Mental Health Work, Hawaii Wildfires Environmental Impact

Elizabeth Hertel, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, tells us how her department is working to improve mental health; Kathleen Ho, deputy director for Environmental Health with Hawaii’s State Department of Health,...
May 21, 2024

669: Lawmakers Consider PH Priorities, Public Health Strategies for Older Adults

Lillian Colasurdo, ASTHO director of Public Health Law and Data Sharing, tells us about part one of ASTHO’s 2024 Legislative session update; Dr. Katrina Piercy, director of the Division of Prevention Science in the Office of Disease Prevention and...
May 17, 2024

667: Pause to Heal Campaign, House Minority Leadership Meeting

Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, tells us about his state’s “Pause to Heal” campaign; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO senior vice president of Government Affairs and Public Relations, discusses a recent meeting she...
April 18, 2024

646: Climate Health Training, Updated PFAS Provider Guidance

Ben Fulgencio-Turner, director of the Climate for Health Program at ecoAmerica, discusses a new ASTHO training program that connects the impacts of climate change to public health; Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, tells the news site...
March 18, 2024

623: Readiness Report Ranks States and DC, Hill Day Gets High Marks

Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, president and CEO of Trust for America's Health, discusses the 21st edition of the Ready or Not Report; Catherine Jones, ASTHO Government Affairs senior analyst, tells us ASTHO’s Hill Day program in late February continues to...
Feb. 23, 2024

607: Spring Meeting Preview, ASTHO CEO Farewell

Amber Williams, ASTHO senior vice president for Leadership and Organizational Performance, previews ASTHO’s upcoming Spring Meeting; Mike Fraser, ASTHO CEO, prepares to say goodbye as he ends his time at ASTHO next week; and an ASTHO blog article...
Feb. 20, 2024

604: How to Build a Rural Health Workforce, Pacific Island Agencies Make PHIG Plans

Dr. Nizar Wehbi, ASTHO Member and North Dakota state health officer, says North Dakota has a plan to attract healthcare workers; Lindsey Myers, ASTHO vice president for Public Health Workforce and Infrastructure, tells us Pacific Island area public...
Feb. 16, 2024

603: Report Calls for New Health Data Approach, ASTHO Members Plan Hill Visit

Dr. Gabriel Seidman, Director of Policy at the Ellison Institute of Technology, details the need for a stronger nationwide health data ecosystem; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO Senior Director for Government Affairs, tells us how some topics on the Hill that...
Feb. 9, 2024

598: CDC’s Hepatitis C Strategy, Wastewater Testing Debate

Dr. Carolyn Wester, director of the division of viral hepatitis at the CDC, says the CDC has a plan to increase access to the diagnosis and treatment resources for hepatitis C; Tim Henderson, senior writer/demographics analyst for Stateline, explains how wastewater testing...
Feb. 7, 2024

596: Environmental Health Careers, Providers Don’t Feel Equipped to Treat Harmful Algal Blooms

Larry Michael, State Environmental Health Director at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, tells us about the many public health careers available to people interested in science and public service; Marissa Vigar, Health...
Feb. 6, 2024

595: Teens Get Online Health Hub, Indiana Funding Plan Discussed Today

Nicole Casanova, Youth Engagement and Evaluation Specialist with the Washington State Department of Health, says her agency has created an online Teen Health Hub to answer teens’ questions; Dr. Lindsay Weaver, ASTHO Member and State Health...
Jan. 30, 2024

590: Four Overdose Prevention Policies Explained, Winter Storm Lessons

Kayley Humm, ASTHO Senior Analyst, discusses a new ASTHO report that outlines a series of overdose prevention policies for consideration by public health agencies; Sarah Bonk, Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Response Coordinator for Erie County,...
Jan. 2, 2024

571: AI Concerns Aired on Capitol Hill, Modern Data Systems Encourage Transparency

Dr. David Newman-Toker, director, Division of Neuro-Visual & Vestibular Disorders, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, discusses his time with House members talking about the bias and privacy issues involved with artificial intelligence; Dana Moore, deputy director…
Dec. 19, 2023

567: Strategic Primer Helps PH Navigate Challenges; Lead, PFAS, and Food Safety Policy

Mike Fraser, ASTHO chief executive officer, talks about the new book he wrote with Dr. Brian Castrucci, president and chief executive officer of the de Beaumont Foundation; Elke Shaw-Tulloch, public health administrator for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, says many agencies saw...
Dec. 1, 2023

555: New Climate Policy Calls for Funding, Actions to Prevent Dengue

Elke Shaw-Tulloch, public health administrator, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, says ASTHO’s revised policy statement on climate and health recommends more funding for state and territorial climate programs; Dr. Lyle Petersen,...
Nov. 30, 2023

554: Ending Structural Racism, New Book on Public Health Strategy

Dr. Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge, senior vice president, Health Equity and Diversity Initiatives, ASTHO outlines the organization’s updated policy statement on structural racism in public health; Dr. Brian Castrucci, president and CEO of the de...