Leadership And Workforce Development Episodes
Aug. 26, 2026
1193: Leading (Through) Change in Public Health
Brittany Cox, assistant commissioner of the Division of Health Disparities Elimination at the Tennessee Department of Health, shares about how attending an ASTHO Leading Change workshop helped her be a better leader.
Guest: Brittany Cox, PhD
Aug. 4, 2026
1179: PHIG Impact Report: Detroit's Investment in Community and Workforce
In this PHIG Impact Report, Christina Floyd, deputy public health director for the Detroit Health Department, discusses how the city has used PHIG funding to strengthen their community and workforce.
Guest: Christina Floyd, MPH
July 27, 2026
1173: Why Public Health's Biggest Challenges Require Better Collaboration
Chelsea Moriarty Coffield discusses the importance of collaboration in public health and shares strategies for building trust and health equity.
July 21, 2026
1169: PHIG Impact Report: Building a Stronger Public Health Workforce in New Mexico
On today's PHIG Impact Report, Shadee Lauer, director for the Office of Training and Development at the New Mexico Department of Health, explains how the state is using PHIG funding to recruit, retain, and develop its workforce through data-driven strategies and innovative professional development programs.
Guest: Shadee Lauer, LPCC
July 8, 2026
1161: Finding Your Voice: Leadership Lessons from the DELPH Program
On today's episode, Gabby Hadly, emergency preparedness and response manager for the Snohomish County Health Department in Washington state, reflects on her experience in ASTHO's Developing Executives Leading in Public Health (DELPH) program.
Guest: Gabby Hadly, MPH
July 2, 2026
1158: Staying Safe During Tick Season, and Leading with Purpose
Alison Hinckley, lead of Epidemiology and Surveillance in CDC's Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, explains this season's increase in tick data and simple prevention steps to reduce Tick-borne diseases. Then, Latoya Sahadeo, ASTHO’s director of the Developing Executives Leading in Public Health (DELPH) Program, shares about the DELPH program and the call for applications.
Guests: Latoya Sahadeo MPH , Alison Hinckley, PhD
June 25, 2026
1153: Building Change Leadership and Implementation Capacity in Public Health
On today's episode, ASTHO's Sara Bell and Alice Schenall discuss how public health agencies can turn strategic plans into measurable progress and lead through change and uncertainty.
Guests: Alice Schenall, DrPH, MPH , Sara Bell, MPH
June 16, 2026
1147: PHIG Impact Report: How South Carolina Is Building a Stronger Workforce
On today's PHIG Impact Report, Karla Buru from the South Carolina Department of Public Health discusses the agency’s Supplemental Tuition Assistance Program (STAP), an innovative workforce development initiative designed to support employee development, retention, and leadership.
Guest: Karla Buru, DrPH, MPH, MSW
June 2, 2026
1137: Resetting Public Health with Big Ideas for Change
On today's episode, Lindsey Myers, ASTHO vice president for public health workforce and infrastructure, discusses the Insight and Inspiration webinar series featuring bestselling author Dan Heath and why his books resonate with public health professionals navigating today’s complex environment.
Guest: Lindsey Myers, MPH
May 20, 2026
1130: From Recruitment to Retention: Strengthening the Public Health Workforce
On today's episode, ASTHO'S Brianna Gorman discusses ASTHO’s new Workforce Employee Experience Implementation Tool. Later, LaShonda Freeman with the South Carolina Department of Public Health discusses South Carolina’s Supplemental Tuition Assistance Policy Program (STAP).
Guests: Brianna Gorman, MPH , LaShonda Freeman, MA, APM
April 29, 2026
1115: How Mentorship and Training Are Transforming Public Health Leadership
In this episode, Joshua Allen from the South Carolina Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Organizational Development discusses how targeted supervisor training and mentorship programs are reshaping workforce culture in public health.
Guest: Joshua Allen, HCI-CHC, CLC
April 14, 2026
1106: PHIG Impact Report: Reimagining the Public Health Workforce in Denver
On today's PHIG Impact Report, Veronika Hanna and Mondi Mason from the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment share how creative workforce strategies powered by the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) are opening new pathways into the field.
Guests: Mondi Mason PhD MPH , Veronika Hanna, MPH
March 23, 2026
1091: Leading Through Conflict: Building Stronger Public Health Teams
On today's episode, Dawn Morriston from the UNC School of Medicine highlights her upcoming webinar, part of ASTHO's Leadership Power Hour series, designed to help supervisors and managers strengthen their leadership skills through focused professional development sessions.
Guest: Dawn Morriston, MPH
March 18, 2026
1088: Keeping Public Health Nurses: Strategies to Reduce Burnout and Strengthen Retention
On today's episode, Shirley Orr from the Association of Public Health Nurses shares insights from the Public Health Nursing Workforce Learning Lab series, including what the results of the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey reveal about this essential group of professionals.
Guest: Shirley Orr MHS APRN NEA-C
March 3, 2026
1079: PHIG Impact Report: How Missouri’s Pathways Internship Program Is Creating the Next Generation of Leaders with Help from PHIG
Public health agencies across the country face a growing workforce shortage—but Missouri is tackling the challenge head-on. On today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, we explore how Missouri internship programs are building a diverse, skilled pipeline of future public health professionals while strengthening partnerships between state and local agencies. Scott Allen, an administrator and health officer of the Webster County Health Unit, shares how hands-on internships are giving students ...
Guests: Brenna Davidson , Scott Allen
Feb. 24, 2026
1075: From Pipeline to Public Trust: Strengthening the Next Generation of Public Health
On today's episode, ASTHO's Kimberlee Wyche Etheridge highlights why workforce pathway programs, mentorship, and hands-on partnerships between universities and health departments are critical. Then, Brian Castrucci, president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, discusses his recent article, focused on ways the public health field can communicate its impact.
Feb. 20, 2026
1073: Coverage, Consequences, and the Leaders Shaping Public Health’s Future
What happens when health coverage becomes unaffordable, and who’s stepping up to lead in moments like this? This episode connects two powerful public health stories. First, we break down the ACA enhanced premium tax credits: what they were, who they helped, and what’s at stake now that they’ve expired. Catherine Jones, senior analyst for government affairs at ASTHO, will explain how these pandemic-era subsidies dramatically expanded access to marketplace coverage, helping middle-income famili...
Guests: James Bell III DSW MSW , Catherine Jones, MPH
Feb. 9, 2026
1065: Steady Hands: Leading Public Health Teams Through Chaos Without Losing Your Cool
What does calm leadership actually look like when everything feels urgent, political, and on fire? In this episode, John Auerbach, senior vice president of health at ICF, offers a preview of ASTHO’s upcoming Insight & Inspiration webinar, 'Steady Hands, Steady Teams: Leading with Confidence and Composure,' on February 11, and digs into the real-world skills behind steady leadership in volatile times. From pandemic burnout to nonstop crises, today’s public health leaders are navigating faster information cycles, rising mistrust, misinformation, and exhausted teams. So how do you keep people focused, grounded, and moving forward? We’ll also hear from Dr. Manisha Juthani, ASTHO president and Connecticut commissioner of public health, who is co-hosting the webinar.
Guests: Manisha Juthani, MD , John Auerbach MBA
Jan. 28, 2026
1059: Charting the Next Four Years: Inside ASTHO’s 2026–2029 Strategic Plan
ASTHO is entering a pivotal moment for public health, and it has a new strategic plan to meet it. In this episode, ASTHO CEO, Dr. Joseph Kanter, unpacks how ASTHO developed its 2026–2029 strategic plan and why now was the right time for a refresh. Dr. Kanter walks through the inclusive, year-long planning process, the rapidly shifting public health landscape that shaped the plan, and the four core pillars guiding ASTHO’s work...
Guest: Joseph Kanter, MD, MPH
Jan. 20, 2026
1054: Building Public Health for the Long Term: Inside the Public Health Infrastructure Grant
What does it take to strengthen public health systems nationwide and why does flexible funding matter? In this PHIG Impact Report, we’re joined by SzePui Hughes, senior director of public health workforce and infrastructure at ASTHO to unpack the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) and ASTHO’s role as a national partner.
Guest: SzePui Hughes, MPH
Dec. 2, 2025
1035: Building Sustainable Public Health Data Systems in Montana
On today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, we talk with Jenn Rico, data modernization and surveillance & informatics supervisor at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Jenn shares how Montana has used PHIG funding to accelerate statewide data modernization, and invested in leadership, data governance, a new data lake, GIS capacity, and workforce development.
Guest: Jenn Rico, MA
426
Oct. 29, 2025
1021: Measles Prevention, Academic Health Partnership Benefits
Jeffrey Eason, director of the Office of Communicable Diseases at the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, explains how his department is working to prevent transmission of measles during the state's largest outbreak in 30 years; Dr. C. William Keck, former director of the Akron City Health Department and professor emeritus of community health sciences and family medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University, shares
Guests: Jeffrey Eason MPH , C. William Keck MD MPH
412
Oct. 8, 2025
1007: Public Health Strategic Skills Guide, PHIG Procurement Upgrades
Dr. Gen Meredith, associate professor with the Department of Public and Ecosystem Health at Cornell University, associate director of the Master of Public Health program, and director of Cornell’s Health Impact Score, explains how their new Public Health Strategic Skills Guide can help professionals in public health navigate changes to their roles and build upon their existing skill sets; Nick Jakubowski, chief operating officer at the Connecticut Department of Public Health, shares how his agency used PHIG funding...
Guests: Gen Meredith OTR DrPH MPH , Nick Jakubowski
399
Sept. 19, 2025
994: Healthy Aging Tactics, PH Funding on the Hill
JW Randolph, deputy commissioner at the Tennessee Department of Health, shares how his state’s new Office for Healthy Aging has been successful in coordinating statewide efforts to care for Tennessee’s aging communities; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s senior director for government affairs, provides an update on funding for the federal government in this week’s View From Washington, D.C. report...
Guests: Jeffrey Ekoma, MBA, MS , JW Randolph MPH