Infant Mortality Episodes

1038: Kentucky’s Pertussis Surge: Preventable Tragedies and a Path Forward
Dec. 8, 2025

1038: Kentucky’s Pertussis Surge: Preventable Tragedies and a Path Forward

Kentucky is experiencing its largest spike in whooping cough cases since 2012, an alarming rise that has already claimed the lives of three infants in the past year. In this episode, Dr. Steven Stack, secretary of Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services, joins us to unpack what’s driving …
1013: Preparedness Peer Network, State Health Scorecards
Oct. 17, 2025

1013: Preparedness Peer Network, State Health Scorecards

Francesca Provenzano, public health section chief of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response with the Connecticut Department of Public Health, discusses themes and insights from her term as chair of ASTHO’s Director of Public Health Preparedness Peer Network; Dr. Sara Collins, senior …
1008: Infant Mortality PH Emergency, Chagas Disease
Oct. 9, 2025

1008: Infant Mortality PH Emergency, Chagas Disease

Dr. Daniel Edney, state health officer for the Mississippi State Department of Health and ASTHO member, shares how his state declared infant mortality a public health emergency to offer services across the state more rapidly; Bonny Mayes, epidemiologist with the Texas Department of State Health Ser…
986: Infant Mortality Programs, CHW Alzheimer’s Course
Sept. 9, 2025

986: Infant Mortality Programs, CHW Alzheimer’s Course

Dr. Lindsay Weaver, ASTHO member and state health commissioner of Indiana, discusses the public health programs that Indiana employed to achieve its lowest infant mortality rate in more than a century; Corinne Gillenwater, chronic disease and health improvement analyst at ASTHO...
972: PHIG Funding in Data Infrastructure
Aug. 19, 2025

972: PHIG Funding in Data Infrastructure

Dr. Lindsay Weaver, ASTHO member and the state health commissioner for the Indiana Department of Health, discusses how her state is using the Public Health Infrastructure Grant in today's PHIG Impact Report.
969: Record Low Infant Mortality, Island Areas Learning Series
Aug. 14, 2025

969: Record Low Infant Mortality, Island Areas Learning Series

Dawn Shanafelt, director of the division of maternal and infant health for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, shares the policies and program that helped the state record its lowest infant mortality rate on record; Dulce Mendoza, senior analyst of island support at ASTHO, explai…
934: ASTHO Deskside Briefing, Congressional Public Health Priorities
June 25, 2025

934: ASTHO Deskside Briefing, Congressional Public Health Priorities

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president, Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, Dr. Lindsay Weaver of Indiana, Dr. James McDonald of New York, and Dr. Ralph Alvarado of Tennessee, held a deskside briefing on the Impact of Nutrition on Chronic Disease Prevention; Ca…
892: PH Social Media Tool, Timely STI Testing
April 24, 2025

892: PH Social Media Tool, Timely STI Testing

Adrienne Ammerman, founder and CEO of Arclet, explains how her platform will help health communicators; Amelia Poulin, ASTHO assistant director of emerging infectious disease, breaks down a blog article on what states are doing to combat syphilis and...
780: Infant Mortality Mixed Bag Of Success, Suicide Trends Highlight Disparities
Oct. 29, 2024

780: Infant Mortality Mixed Bag Of Success, Suicide Trends Highlight Disparities

Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and an ASTHO Member, details Illinois’ latest report on infant mortality; Allison Corr, manager for the Suicide Risk Reduction Project at The Pew Charitable Trusts, explains trends...
760: Factors to Reduce Suicide Rates, Infant Mortality Awareness Month
Sept. 30, 2024

760: Factors to Reduce Suicide Rates, Infant Mortality Awareness Month

Alison Cammack, PhD, MPH, lead author and health scientist on the CDC suicide prevention team, provides an overview of the CDC’s new Vital Signs report, with new data on suicide rates and variables; Stacy Scott, PhD, National Institute for...
591: Infant Mortality Data Offers Mixed Results, Preparedness Lessons
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...
587: ASTHO Urges White House to Implement Menthol Rule, Advocates Join Call for Menthol Ban
Jan. 25, 2024

587: ASTHO Urges White House to Implement Menthol Rule, Advocates Join Call for Menthol Ban

Josh Berry, ASTHO Director of Chronic Disease Risk Factors, says ASTHO is calling on the White House to implement a rule that would prohibit the sale of menthol-flavored tobacco products; Chrissie Juliano, Executive Director of the Big Cities Health...
581: Policies Connect Health Care and PH Funding Tips
Jan. 17, 2024

581: Policies Connect Health Care and PH Funding Tips

Brianna Gorman, ASTHO analyst for Performance Excellence, explains ways to connect public health and health care in communities; Dr. Lindsay Weaver, ASTHO member and state health commissioner for the Indiana Department of Health, tells us how Indiana...
576: State Health Assessments Inform Planning, How to Access Public Health Databases
Jan. 9, 2024

576: State Health Assessments Inform Planning, How to Access Public Health Databases

Dr. Edward Simmer, director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, dives deep into a new state health assessment; Melissa Touma, ASTHO’s director of the Public Health Infrastructure Program, tells us how Colorado used...
481: Syphilis Drug Shortage, Maternal and Child Health Priorities
Aug. 14, 2023

481: Syphilis Drug Shortage, Maternal and Child Health Priorities

Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, Professor of Clinical Population and Public Health Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine at USC, describes how drug shortages are making it tough to treat syphilis; Jazmyn Covington, ASTHO Director of Maternal and Infant...
450: A Call for Data, Lead Poisoning Prevention
June 28, 2023

450: A Call for Data, Lead Poisoning Prevention

Dr. Janelle Palacios, Nurse Midwife and Researcher at Kaiser Permanente, says we need better data on the health challenges facing American Indian and Alaska Native mothers and their babies; Dr. Clifford Mitchell, Director of the Environmental Health...
442: Telling Public Health Stories, RSV Vaccine Reaction
June 15, 2023

442: Telling Public Health Stories, RSV Vaccine Reaction

Dr. Edward Ehlinger, former chair of the HHS Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality, says public health needs to look beyond numbers to best serve American Indian and Alaska Native mothers and their babies; Dr. Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge,...
439: Congenital Syphilis Strategies, Medicaid Demonstration Projects
June 12, 2023

439: Congenital Syphilis Strategies, Medicaid Demonstration Projects

JoAnne McClure, ASTHO Senior Analyst for State Health Policy, details a new report written to help public health leaders address rising rates of congenital syphilis; Alex Kearly, ASTHO’s Director of Medicaid and Value-Based Payment, breaks down...
437: Urgent Data Needs, Becoming the Healthiest State
June 8, 2023

437: Urgent Data Needs, Becoming the Healthiest State

Dr. Janelle Palacios, a member of the Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality, says there is an urgent need to improve health outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native mothers and their babies; Julia Greenspan, ASTHO Director of...
435: Training Fearless Leaders, PH Authority Dashboard
June 6, 2023

435: Training Fearless Leaders, PH Authority Dashboard

Dr. Marissa Levine, Director of the Center for Leadership in Public Health Practice at the University of South Florida, says the PHEARLESS Initiative launching today aims to bring public health and community members together;  Maggie Davis, ASTHO...
383: Breastfeeding Partners, USVI Priorities
March 23, 2023

383: Breastfeeding Partners, USVI Priorities

Carl Route Jr., Program Director for Reaching our Brothers Everywhere, says his group is on a mission to educate, equip, and empower men to increase breastfeeding rates and decrease infant mortality rates in the African-American community; Justa...
33: Booster Votes Explained
Sept. 24, 2021

33: Booster Votes Explained

ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia explains several votes taken by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Thursday, including one against COVID-19 booster shots for people with occupational or institutional risks; Dr. Ed...