Federal Government Affairs Episodes

922: 2025 Preparedness Summit, View from Washington, D.C. Report
June 6, 2025

922: 2025 Preparedness Summit, View from Washington, D.C. Report

Nate Weed, chief of resiliency and health security at the Washington State Department of Health, discusses a conversation at the 2025 Preparedness Summit between Directors of Public Health Preparedness, the CDC, and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response facilitated by ASTHO; Ca…
Guests: Carolyn Mullen , Nate Weed MPH
917: World No Tobacco Day, One Big Beautiful Bill Act
May 30, 2025

917: World No Tobacco Day, One Big Beautiful Bill Act

Brian King, executive vice president for U.S. programs at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, explains how state and local programs are the lifeblood of tobacco prevention; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO's senior director for government affairs, updates us...
Guests: Jeffrey Ekoma , Brian King PhD MPH
915: Healthy Aging, New Federal Health Policy Update
May 28, 2025

915: Healthy Aging, New Federal Health Policy Update

Danny Staley, ASTHO senior vice president for public health programs and practice, details the recent Healthy Brain Initiative Summit where he presented a keynote presentation; Catherine Murphy, ASTHO government affairs analyst, explains...
Guests: Danny Staley MS , Catherine Murphy
908: Measles Outbreak Simulator, HHS Secretary Testifies
May 16, 2025

908: Measles Outbreak Simulator, HHS Secretary Testifies

Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and an ASTHO member, tells us why his department wanted to create a dashboard focused on measles; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director of government affairs...
Guests: Jeffrey Ekoma , Sameer Vohra MD JD MA FAAP
903: New Lab Speeds Newborn Screening, Capitol Hill Efforts
May 9, 2025

903: New Lab Speeds Newborn Screening, Capitol Hill Efforts

Deputy secretary for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Ashley Goss, shares how her agency’s new health and environment laboratories are transforming public health response with expanded laboratory capabilities; Get to know ASTHO's Catherine Murphy...
Guests: Catherine Murphy , Ashley Goss MBA
900: How ASTHO Provides Value, Crisis Comms Webinar
May 6, 2025

900: How ASTHO Provides Value, Crisis Comms Webinar

Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for government affairs, explains how he came to ASTHO and how his team provides value for members in today's "Get to Know ASTHO" segment; K. "Vish" Viswanath, professor of health communication at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public...
Guests: Jeffrey Ekoma , K. "Vish" Viswanath PhD
898: Community Crisis Centers, Congress Back In Session
May 2, 2025

898: Community Crisis Centers, Congress Back In Session

Kelly Crosbie, director of the North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services, tells us about the community crisis center initiative in her state; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO's senior vice president of...
Guests: Carolyn Mullen , Kelly Crosbie MSW LCSW
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...
Guests: Joseph Kanter MD MPH , Madison Yerges MPH MHA
887: Keep America Safe Coalition, Puerto Rico Health Priorities
April 17, 2025

887: Keep America Safe Coalition, Puerto Rico Health Priorities

Sharon Gilmartin, executive director of the Safe States Alliance, tells us about the Keep America Safe Coalition; Dr. Victor Ramos, secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Health and an ASTHO member, breaks down the health priorities for Puerto...
Guests: Sharon Gilmartin MPH , Victor Ramos MD
829: Overdose Prevention in the Justice System, Fentanyl Crisis Federal Action
Jan. 24, 2025

829: Overdose Prevention in the Justice System, Fentanyl Crisis Federal Action

JoAnne McClure, senior analyst on ASTHO’s State Health Policy Team, discusses a new ASTHO Health Policy Update that centers on the need for more overdose prevention supports for those in the criminal justice system; Catherine Jones, ASTHO Government...
Guests: JoAnne McClure MSW , Catherine Jones MPH
827: Alpha-Gal Syndrome Interest, New Congress Priorities
Jan. 22, 2025

827: Alpha-Gal Syndrome Interest, New Congress Priorities

Courtney Anderson, a director with ASTHO’s Environmental Health Team, discusses a blog article on alpha-gal syndrome that was one of ASTHO’s most popular resources of 2024; Catherine Murphy, government affairs analyst for ASTHO, uses past...
Guests: Courtney Anderson MPH , Catherine Murphy
825: National Day of Racial Healing, New Administration Early Priorities
Jan. 17, 2025

825: National Day of Racial Healing, New Administration Early Priorities

Natasha Harper-Levy, director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at ASTHO, tells us the importance of racial healing as we get ready to celebrate the National Day of Racial Healing; an ASTHO blog article dives into how you can integrate race and...
Guests: Jeffrey Ekoma , Natasha Harper-Levy
805: Lame Duck Priority Preview, National Influenza Vaccination Week
Dec. 6, 2024

805: Lame Duck Priority Preview, National Influenza Vaccination Week

Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for Government Affairs, tells us what to expect from Congress as the year wraps up; Dr. Brendan Jackson, director of the Office of Readiness, Response, and Operations for the CDC's National Center for Immunization...
Guests: Jeffrey Ekoma , Brendan Jackson MD MPH
622: High Food Costs Hurt WIC, Proposed Budget Breakdown
March 15, 2024

622: High Food Costs Hurt WIC, Proposed Budget Breakdown

Dr. Scott Harris, state health officer with the Alabama Department of Public Health and ASTHO Member, recalls his recent visit to Congress a few weeks ago; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for Government Affairs, says ASTHO continues to talk with...
Guests: Scott Harris MD MPH FACP FIDSA , Jeffrey Ekoma , Susan Kansagra MD MBA
614: New ASTHO CEO Announced
March 5, 2024

614: New ASTHO CEO Announced

Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO president and commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, announces Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO alum, as incoming CEO; Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO’s newly-announced CEO, who joins ASTHO from the Louisiana Department of...
Guests: Joseph Kanter MD MPH , Steven Stack MD
613: Members Meet Legislators, Islands Discuss Priorities
March 4, 2024

613: Members Meet Legislators, Islands Discuss Priorities

Dr. Manisha Juthani, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, spent her week in Washington, D.C., discussing the importance of the Public Health Infrastructure Grant to her state; Arthur San Agustin, special assistant for health to...
Guests: Manisha Juthani MD , Arthur San Agustin MHR , Moses Pretrick
603: Report Calls for New Health Data Approach, ASTHO Members Plan Hill Visit
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...
Guests: Gabriel Seidman DrPH , Jeffrey Ekoma
584: Violence Prevention Work Gets Attention, First Responders Connect Via Telemedicine Link
Jan. 22, 2024

584: Violence Prevention Work Gets Attention, First Responders Connect Via Telemedicine Link

Dr. Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer of the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services, tells us about a recent meeting with officials from the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention;...
Guests: Carolyn Mullen , Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson MD MPH , Marty Link
579: Tracking Congressional Deadlines, King’s Message Mirrors PH Concerns
Jan. 12, 2024

579: Tracking Congressional Deadlines, King’s Message Mirrors PH Concerns

Kyle Gasaway, ASTHO communications manager for the Leadership and Learning Unit, talks about the very successful Diverse Executives Leading in Public Health program; Jeffrey Ekoma, senior director for Government Affairs, is monitoring progress on...
Guests: Jeffrey Ekoma , Kyle Gasaway , Melissa Lewis MPH
574: Tracking Respiratory Illness, Congressional Deadlines Loom
Jan. 5, 2024

574: Tracking Respiratory Illness, Congressional Deadlines Loom

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, is tracking reports of respiratory illness across the U.S.; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO senior vice president for Government Affairs and Public Relations, discusses a federal funding deadline that is quickly...
Guests: Marcus Plescia MD MPH , Carolyn Mullen
547: Listening and Data in Native Communities, Congress Meets a Deadline
Nov. 17, 2023

547: Listening and Data in Native Communities, Congress Meets a Deadline

Melissa Magstadt, secretary of health for the South Dakota Department of Health, outlines how she works with nine sovereign nations in her state; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO senior vice president for Government Affairs and Public Relations, tells us about...
Guests: Esther Muña PhD MHA FACHE , Carolyn Mullen , Melissa Magstadt CNP MBA , Jared Shoultz MA
540: How to Hire a Public Health Nurse, Roundtables Get Lawmakers Talking
Nov. 7, 2023

540: How to Hire a Public Health Nurse, Roundtables Get Lawmakers Talking

Dr. Robert Goldstein, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, says local agency partnerships are key to the success of new public health performance standards; Allison Nickrent, director of governmental affairs at the Illinois...
Guests: Robert Goldstein MD PhD , Allison Nickrent
538: One Health Simplified, Shutdown Potential
Nov. 3, 2023

538: One Health Simplified, Shutdown Potential

Dr. Karen Smith, Former California Public Health Officer, discusses how agencies can begin their One Health approach; an ASTHO report outlines how Idaho and New Jersey are taking a One Health approach to address environmental health concerns; Jeffrey...
Guests: Mark Levine MD , Jeffrey Ekoma , Karen Smith MD
533: ASTHO President Seeks Common Ground, Congress Moving Again
Oct. 27, 2023

533: ASTHO President Seeks Common Ground, Congress Moving Again

Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO’s New President and Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, wants to find common ground to push public health forward in his new role; Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of the American Public Health...
Guests: Carolyn Mullen , Georges Benjamin MD , Steven Stack MD