Pediatrics Episodes

Dec. 11, 2025

1041: Protecting Newborns: Guidance for the Hepatitis B Vaccine Matters Now More Than Ever

In this episode, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health and ASTHO member Dr. Debra Bogen joins us to break down a major change in national vaccine guidance, and why it has sparked concern among pediatric and public health leaders.
Dec. 10, 2025

1040: Michigan’s Chief Medical Executive Discusses the Stakes of ACIP’s Vote on Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns

In this episode, ASTHO member and Michigan Department of Health & Human Services Chief Medical Executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian breaks down a major development in national vaccine policy: the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP’s) decision to narrow its guidance on the hepatiti…
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 coo…
Sept. 5, 2025

984: Childhood Vaccination Efforts; FY26 Public Health Funding

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 C…
June 5, 2024

679: Community Health Workers Need Sustained Funding, Pediatricians Feel Ill-Equipped to Help Teens Struggling with Addiction

Denise Octavia Smith, executive director of the National Association of Community Health Workers, discusses the need for sustained funding for Community Health Workers; and Dr. Scott Hadland, chief of Adolescent Medicine at Mass General for Children,...