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.
Guests: Sanaa Akbarali, MPH , Denise Hanisch, MD
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.
Guest: Victor Ramos Otero MD
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.
Guest: Natasha Bagdasarian, MD, MPH
437
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...
Guests: Jerome Larkin, MD , Meghan Mead JD
427
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...
Guests: Kristy Marynak PhD MPP , Jean Ko PhD
764
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...
Guests: Karl Ensign , Christina W. Severin BSN JD
754
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...
Guests: J. Nadine Gracia MD MSCE , Chantel Emery MS BSN
202
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...