Health Disparities Episodes

June 29, 2026

1155: Maternal Health Solutions from South Dakota

On today's episode, Denise Hanisch from the South Dakota Department of Health shares the state's maternal and infant health priorities, and ASTHO's Sanaa Akbarali highlights takeaways from the Region 7 Maternal Health ECHO Summit.
April 2, 2026

1098: Puerto Rico’s Health Care Crossroads

On today's episode, Victor Ramos Otero, secretary of health for Puerto Rico, joins the show to discuss the urgent challenges facing the island’s health care system.
Dec. 10, 2025

1040: Michigan’s Chief Medical Executive Discusses the Stakes of ACIP’s Vote on Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns

In this episode, ASTHO member and Michigan Department of Health & Human Services Chief Medical Executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian breaks down a major development in national vaccine policy: the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP’s) decision to narrow its guidance on the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns.
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Jan. 23, 2025

828: White House Sepsis Roundtable, AI & PH Webinar

Dr. Jerome Larkin, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health and an ASTHO Member, recaps a White House roundtable meeting that focused on sepsis; Meghan Mead, deputy director in the Mid-States Region at the Network for Public Health Law, tells...
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Jan. 8, 2025

818: Tobacco-Related Disparities, Illegally Manufactured Fentanyl Report

Dr. Kristy Marynak, senior science advisor at the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health, details a report on tobacco-related disease and death; Dr. Jean Ko, deputy director at the CDC's Scientific Programs for the Division of Overdose Prevention, discusses a CDC report about overdose rates involving illicitly manufactured fentanyls; and an...
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Sept. 23, 2024

755: Island Areas Health Disparities examined, Supreme Court Rulings

Karl Ensign, ASTHO vice president of island support, talks about the work to address COVID-19 health disparities in the U.S. territories and freely associated states; Christina Severin, ASTHO director of public health law, summarizes several recent...
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Sept. 9, 2024

745: 2024 Pain in the Nation Report, Making Dialysis Safer Coalition

Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, president and CEO of Trust for America’s Health, breaks down the latest ‘Pain in the Nation’ report; Chantel Emery, the dialysis infection prevention lead with the Florida Department of Health’s Healthcare Associated...
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Jan. 31, 2024

591: Infant Mortality Data Offers Mixed Results, Preparedness Lessons

Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO Member and State Health Officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health, says new numbers in Alabama show infant deaths are dropping but the news isn’t all good; an ASTHO blog article outlines practical strategies for...