Island Areas Episodes

On today's episode, guest Luigi Leblanc, a doctoral student at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, shares his research findings on data modernization across the territories. Leblanc highlights why data interoperability, governance, and workforce stability are critical to residents' health care in island areas.

On today's PHIG Impact Report, Tmong Udui with the Palau Ministry of Health and Human Services shares how Palau is using PHIG funding to modernize its health data systems.

Today: bringing oral health into the public health conversation with Flora Nathan, assistant secretary for the Bureau of Oral Health in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. At her first ASTHO Spring Leadership Forum, Flora shares a candid look at the challenges and opportunities of delivering oral healthcare across a U.S. remote island nation. From severe workforce shortages and long clinic wait times to the ripple effects on families, schools, and local economies, she highlights how oral health is deeply connected to broader public health outcomes. She also discusses the importance of integrating oral health into maternal and child health programs, school-based care, and community outreach, as well as the realities of operating without consistent funding.

On today's episode, Eleanor Cabrera from the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands shares how telehealth is helping transform care delivery in island jurisdictions.

In today's PHIG Impact Report, Esther Ellis, territorial epidemiologist for the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Health, shares how Public Health Infrastructure Grant funding is transforming the territory’s health data systems, and why that matters far beyond technology.

Two very different challenges, and one shared public health reality: systems have to work when it matters most. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Erica Pan, director and state public health officer for the California Department of Public Health, and ASTHO member, about a rare and unprecedented infant botulism outbreak linked to contaminated infant formula. She explains how California’s unique BabyBIG® treatment program, home to the only infant botulism treatment in the world, helped detect a national pattern, how states coordinated with CDC and FDA, and the logistical strain of managing treatment supply, clinician hotlines, and public communication during a fast-moving emergency. Then, Alex Wheatley, senior director of island support at ASTHO, joins us to discuss a different kind of pressure point: helping U.S. Island jurisdictions navigate complex federal grant systems. She outlines a new resource designed to bridge gaps between federal funders and local health agencies, reduce misu…

Halina Palacios, chief operations officer for population health at the Commonwealth Health Care Corporation in the territory of the Northern Mariana Islands, discusses a recent population health summit specifically for Pacific public health teams; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO’s senior vice president of government affairs and public relations, breaks down how the potential government shutdown could impact access to public health funds...

Christy Roby, local public health performance section supervisor with Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, explains how her agency developed a new technical assistance infrastructure referral system; Chelsea Cipriano, managing director of the Common Health Coalition...

Dr. Allison Arwady, director at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC, details a recent webinar focused on mental health and overdose prevention; Beth Giambrone, ASTHO senior analyst for state health policy, explains..

Dr. Anna-Michelle McSorley, assistant professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut, details the findings of her recent study on quality of life indicators in three U.S. territories and explains the importance of data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; Christina Severin, director of public health law at ASTHO, discusses her role on the State Health Policy team...

In today's PHIG Impact Report, Moses Pretrick, assistant secretary for the Department of Health & Social Affairs with the Federated States of Micronesia, explains how the Public Health Infrastructure Grant has worked for his team.

J.T. Lane, ASTHO senior Vice President for Population Health and Innovation at ASTHO, tells us how the HIMSS Global Health Conference and Exhibition is pushing health data modernization forward; Alex Wheatley, ASTHO Senior Director of Island Support,...

Karl Ensign, ASTHO vice president for Territorial Support, tells us why braiding and layering funding can be beneficial as ASTHO launches a learning module on the subject; Beth Giambrone, ASTHO senior analyst for State Health Policy, discusses the EPA...

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...

This special episode of Public Health Review Morning Edition revisits a popular episode from May 24th, 2024. ASTHO staff, members, and alumni, discuss a recent meeting focused on the implementation of the Public Health Infrastructure Grant program for...

Dr. Liz Wood, scholarly assistant professor at the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine at Washington State University, discusses her grant-winning research on disability data; Julia Von Alexander, ASTHO senior analyst for Island Support, says leaders...

John Bowman, executive vice president for U.S. Tobacco Programs at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, sounds the alarm about the tobacco industry’s relentless drive to encourage young people to use their products; Kayley Humm, ASTHO senior analyst...

Helen Branswell, senior writer on Infectious Diseases and Global Health at STAT, reflects on her early coverage of the avian flu virus impacting mostly dairy cows across the country; Betsy Mayotte, president of the Institute of Student Loan Advisors,...

ASTHO staff, members, and alumni, discuss a recent meeting focused on the implementation of the Public Health Infrastructure Grant program for the island areas; Dr. Mark Levine, commissioner of Health for the State of Vermont, says his state’s...