Influenza Episodes
Aug. 20, 2026
1190: State Health Leaders Outline Strategies Ahead of Respiratory Virus Season
On today's episode, hear highlights from ASTHO's recent briefing, where public health leaders from Connecticut, Alabama, New York, and Alaska discussed strategies to address vaccine hesitancy and improve access to vaccinations.
Aug. 11, 2026
1184: Back-to-School Vaccines
In recognition of National Immunization Awareness Month, Michelle Fiscus, chief medical officer for the Association of Immunization Managers, shares about the current state of childhood immunization.
Guest: Michelle D. Fiscus, MD, FAAP
April 23, 2026
1112: Inside Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance
On today's episode, CDC's Heather Reese discusses the Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance program: a cutting-edge effort that turns international travel into an early warning system for public health threats.
Guest: Heather Reese, PhD, MPH
Jan. 7, 2026
1048: Flu on the Rise: Vaccine Uptake, New Variants, and Protecting the Most Vulnerable
As flu cases climb across the country and pediatric deaths rise, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, ASTHO member and Michigan’s chief medical executive, joins us to break down what this flu season means for families, health agencies, and health care systems.
Guest: Natasha Bagdasarian, MD, MPH
425
Oct. 28, 2025
1020: Vaccine Confidence Strategy, HEP FREE 2030
Dr. Novneet Sahu, deputy commissioner for public health at the New Jersey Department of Health, discusses his state’s multi-pronged strategy to improve vaccine access and address vaccine confidence in response to a national rise in pediatric flu deaths; Thaddeus Pham, viral hepatitis prevention coordinator at the Hawaii Department of Health, explains...
Guests: Novneet Sahu MD MPA , Thaddeus Pham MPH
376
Aug. 18, 2025
971: Medicaid & Public Health Team Up, Respiratory Virus Season
Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, and Kate McEvoy, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, discuss a new partnership between the two organizations; Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO,...
375
Aug. 15, 2025
970: Respiratory Virus Season Briefing, CICT Course
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...
473
March 17, 2025
864: Impressive Vaccination Rates, Changing Immunization Conversation
Dr. Jerome Larkin, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health and an ASTHO Member, explains how his state achieved such impressive vaccination rates; Dr. Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge, ASTHO's senior vice president of Health Initiatives...
461
Feb. 27, 2025
852: Lassa Fever Response, Suicide Rates See Decline
Dr. Robert Kruse, state medical director and the division director of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services and an ASTHO Member, tells us about his state’s response to a confirmed case of Lassa fever; Clarie Miller, lead suicide...
Guests: Robert Kruse MD MPH FAAFP , Clarie Miller
436
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
414
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...
240
March 28, 2024
631: Inspired by Public Health, TFAH Reports on Readiness
Dr. Karen Smith, former director of the California Department of Public Health, tells us about the early days of her career; Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, president and CEO of Trust for America's Health, details the Ready or Not Report which gets specific...
235
March 19, 2024
624: Balance Can Benefit PH Authority, Vending Kiosks Offer COVID and Flu Tests
Dr. Michelle Mello, professor of law at Stanford Law School and professor of health policy at Stanford University School of Medicine, studied state lawmakers’ response to the use of public health authority during the pandemic; Dr. Tao Sheng...
192
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...
Guests: Brianna Gorman, MPH , Lindsay Weaver MD
191
Jan. 16, 2024
580: Reflections on Racial Healing, Readiness Website Launches Today
Natasha Harper-Levy, ASTHO director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, reflects on the National Day of Racial Healing’s value and purpose; Margaux Haviland, ASTHO director of Preparedness and Response Coordination, explains what users will see...
188
Jan. 10, 2024
577: New Preparedness Website Set to Launch, COVID Vaccine Messaging
Margaux Haviland, ASTHO director for Preparedness and Response Coordination, shares that the Inspire Readiness website goes live on January 16; Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, wants public health to focus its COVID vaccine promotion...
Guests: Marcus Plescia, MD, MPH , Margaux Haviland MPH
185
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
175
Dec. 14, 2023
564: Flavored Tobacco Bans and Pricing Strategies, Respiratory Disease Guidance
Dr. Barbara Wallace, director of the Division of Chronic Disease Prevention at the New York State Department of Health, discusses various strategies to curb tobacco use; Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, worries that too many sick...
170
Dec. 7, 2023
559: Policy Ideas Address Maternal Morbidity, Investment in the 9-8-8 Hotline
Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, examines the third edition of the state’s maternal morbidity and mortality report; Dr. Umair Shah, secretary of health for the Washington State Department of Health, discusses...
142
Oct. 25, 2023
531: RSV Vaccine Pitch, Virus Disparities
Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO Chief Medical Officer, wants public health to focus on medical providers as the primary way to promote the RSV vaccine; an ASTHO blog article explains why public health readiness during the respiratory virus season is key; an...
Guests: Marcus Plescia, MD, MPH , Kris Bryant MD
129
Oct. 5, 2023
518: Vaccination Conversations, Respiratory Disease Forecast
Dr. Fatimah Dawood, Pediatrician and Medical Officer on the Influenza Prevention and Control Team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, explains how the SHARE method can help providers inform patients about vaccines; Dr. Dylan George,...
Guests: Dylan George PhD MS , Fatimah Dawood MD
120
Sept. 22, 2023
509: Bundling Vaccinations, Hoping to Avoid a Government Shutdown
Dr. Gillian SteelFisher, Director of Global Polling at the Harvard Opinion Research Program, says promoting the flu, RSV, and COVID-19 vaccines together help broaden the appeal; Dr. Jennifer Shuford, Commissioner for the Texas Department of State...
118
Sept. 20, 2023
507: New Vaccine Poll Data, Blogs Help PH Workers Connect
Dr. Gillian SteelFisher, Director of Global Polling at the Harvard Opinion Research Program, shares the results from a study on public perception of COVID-19, RSV and Flu; Dr. Jennifer Thomas, Employee Wellbeing and Resilience Program Manager at the...
91
Aug. 11, 2023
480: RSV Messaging, Emergency Contraception
Hear from the experts who participated in an ASTHO online briefing on the coming RSV season; Sophia Durant, ASTHO’s Analyst of Family and Child Health, says access to emergency contraception is a health equity issue; and an ASTHO virtual session...