Infectious Diseases Episodes

Illinois Department of Public Health Chief Transformation Officer Massimo Pacilli discusses how the U.S. Disease Tracker is building a collaborative space for organizations to better public health.

On today's bonus long-form episode, we hear from three public health experts as they highlight the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) program and how it has become one of the nation's most important investments in infectious disease preparedness.

Epidemiologist and Program Manager for Washington State's Wastewater-based Epidemiology Program Breanna McArdle,sits down with ASTHO and discusses how wastewater surveillance offers important data that fills in public health gaps. She also touches on the ethical and privacy concerns that come with wastewater surveillance, and the importance of collaboration in creating healthier futures.

On today's episode, ASTHO’s Andy Baker-White explains why Immunization Information Systems are essential to modern public health, and what lawmakers and the public should understand as policy debates continue.

On today's episode, ASTHO’s Meredith Allen, vice president of health security, explores what sets the Ebola outbreak apart, discussing the virus strain, response efforts, and factors contributing to its rapid spread.

On today's episode, ASTHO Vice President of Health Security, Meredith Allen, tells us about the ongoing monitoring response tied to an outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius. Later, Emily Lapayowker, assistant director of web content at ASTHO talks about Global Accessibility Awareness Day.

On today's episode, the de Beaumont Foundation's Amanda Kwong discusses why effective public health communications go far beyond public awareness campaigns. Later, ASTHO's Ashley Nanthavongsa-Mosley highlights innovative efforts to introduce public health education into K-12 schools.

On today's episode, CDC's Jason Asher joins us to explain how new data tools are transforming detection and response to infectious diseases.

On today's episode, ASTHO member James McDonald returns to the show to unpack the state’s investment in the new, state-of-the-art Wadsworth Center Laboratory.

On today's episode, Allison Wheeler from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment shares how her team detected measles in wastewater before clinical cases appeared, helping local partners identify an outbreak early to act quickly. Then, Ziad Kazzi from Emory University breaks down what a radiological incident really looks like, from accidental exposures to nuclear incidents, and what a manageable response looks like.

As part of our state health policy portfolio, ASTHO releases an annual Legislative Prospectus Series: policy briefs summarizing state and territorial legislation that impacts public health. Today, Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO’s CEO, will summarize the 2026 series, identify trends in public health law for the next year, and provide a high-level overview for public health professionals and policymakers in time for upcoming legislative sessions.

In today's PHIG Impact Report, Patricia Tilley, ASTHO member and associate commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, details the critical needs the Public Health Infrastructure Grant has helped address in her state.

Shalini Nair, senior analyst for infectious disease at ASTHO, tells public health professionals everything they need to know about New World screwworm (NWS), and what to do if their state experiences a case; Maggie Nilz, senior analyst for preparedness at ASTHO, shares information from a new Health Policy Update on public health preparedness for extreme weather events...

Dr. Arti Barnes, chief medical officer at the Illinois Department of Public Health, describes how her agency is working collaboratively with other state departments to enhance access to pediatric vaccinations; Jeffrey Ekoma, senior director of government affairs at ASTHO, discusses changes to the CDC, this month’s federal funding deadline...

Darcy Pickens, program coordinator for the office of suicide prevention at the California Department of Public Health, explains how the state’s “Never a Bother” youth suicide prevention campaign collaborated with youth to develop a campaign tailored to their needs; Courtney Dezendorf, director for the office of practice and learning at the Texas Department of State Health Services...

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president and state health Officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health, Dr. Ayanna Bennett, director of the District of Columbia Department of Health, and Dr. Manisha Juthani, ASTHO president-elect and commissioner for the Connecticut Department of Public Health, held a deskside briefing on the preparations for the upcoming respiratory virus season; Ericka McGowan, senior director of emerging infectious disease at ASTHO...

Dr. Michelle Morse, acting commissioner and chief medical officer for the New York City Health Department, explains how the city’s new video series aims to help educate communities about the impact of Long COVID; Dr. Nirav Shah, ASTHO alum and former principal deputy director at the CDC, discusses the focus of this year’s Executive Leadership Forum, and what he hopes to teach future public health professionals in his new role as a professor at Colby College; Emman Parian, immunization program manager at the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation of the Northern Mariana Islands...

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, shares how ASTHO will use the Public Health Workforce Interest and Needs Survey (PH WINS) to guide national public health priorities; Emma Pliskin, research scientist at Child Trends, shares what their new study reveals about trends in STI testing...

Lillian Colasurdo, ASTHO’s director of public health law and data sharing, is featured in today's Get To Know ASTHO segment; Lesley Wolf, director of programming for Envision, discusses how their new CHW Financial Sustainability Toolkit can help public health programs...

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...

Dr. Kaitlan Baston, former commissioner of health for the New Jersey Department of Health and ASTHO alumni, outlines what New Jersey has been doing to address opioids; Kate Murray, program supervisor for Long COVID and post-COVID conditions at the...

Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and an ASTHO member, explains how his state is taking action for youth behavioral health; Aurora GrantWingate, member and partner engagement manager at the National Association of...

Amelia Poulin, assistant director of emerging infectious disease at ASTHO, gives an update on public health’s battle against tuberculosis on World TB Day; Moses Pretrick, assistant secretary for health for the Federated States of Micronesia, tells...

Dr. Dylan George, director of the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics at the CDC, tells us about Insight Net which aims to improve analytics in outbreak forecasting; Mark Miller, vice president of communications at the de Beaumont Foundation,...