Policy And Advocacy Episodes

1077: Hypertension, Hill Day, and the Future of Public Health Policy
Feb. 26, 2026

1077: Hypertension, Hill Day, and the Future of Public Health Policy

Today, two conversations highlight how policy shapes public health, both in communities and on Capitol Hill. First, Beth Giambrone, senior analyst for state health policy at ASTHO, explains how states are rethinking their app...
890: Remembering Mary Selecky, Take Down Tobacco Day
April 22, 2025

890: Remembering Mary Selecky, Take Down Tobacco Day

Dr. John Wiesman, Associate Dean for Practice at UNC Chapel Hill, remembers his former mentor, Mary Selecky, who passed away on April 7; Finn Lanning, Youth Tobacco Prevention Coordinator for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, tells us...
888: Historic Strides For Overdose Prevention, SLF Advocacy Roundup
April 18, 2025

888: Historic Strides For Overdose Prevention, SLF Advocacy Roundup

Dr. Allison Arwady, director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC, tells us about historic progress in the field of overdose prevention; Catherine Murphy, ASTHO government affairs analyst, discusses the advocacy effort...
883: National Public Health Week, ASTHO Priorities to Congress
April 11, 2025

883: National Public Health Week, ASTHO Priorities to Congress

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, highlights public health workers as National Public Health Week wraps up this weekend; Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president and Alabama state health officer, outlines public health priorities to Congress; Jacki Tulafono,...
830: Safe States Alliance New Leadership, STRETCH 2.0 National Convening
Jan. 27, 2025

830: Safe States Alliance New Leadership, STRETCH 2.0 National Convening

Sharon Gilmartin, the new executive director of Safe States Alliance, discusses her new position and her goals for the organization; John Auerbach, senior vice president for public health at ICF and a speaker at the upcoming STRETCH 2.0 national convening,...
814: Safe States Alliance Leader Retires, VRHS Reaccreditation
Dec. 19, 2024

814: Safe States Alliance Leader Retires, VRHS Reaccreditation

Rich Hamburg, executive director of the Safe States Alliance, reflects on his career in public health as he prepares to retire; Marita Chilton, senior director of Accreditation and Recognition at the Public Health Accreditation Board, tells us about...
686: Community Tobacco Control Strategies, Health Equity Science
June 14, 2024

686: Community Tobacco Control Strategies, Health Equity Science

Ashley Hebert, senior program manager for Community and Government Relations with The Center for Black Health & Equity, says despite challenges organizations must continue their work to protect communities of color from tobacco industry campaigns;...
660: Retail Food Safety Barriers, Guam Launches Public Health AmeriCorps
May 8, 2024

660: Retail Food Safety Barriers, Guam Launches Public Health AmeriCorps

Amber Gibbar, health promotion coordinator for the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, says they have been working for years to dismantle communication barriers in retail food safety; Julia Rivera, program director for the Public Health AmeriCorps...
647: A New Social Determinant, Measles Outbreak Response
April 19, 2024

647: A New Social Determinant, Measles Outbreak Response

Admiral Rachel Levine, assistant secretary for health at the United States Department of Health and Human Services, reflects on the policy factors that impact public health; Massimo Pacilli, deputy commissioner of the Disease Control Bureau with the...
634: Lead Initiatives Benefit Colorado Kids, PH Infrastructure Gets Boost
April 2, 2024

634: Lead Initiatives Benefit Colorado Kids, PH Infrastructure Gets Boost

Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and an ASTHO member, tells us healthy neighborhoods are the focus on day two of National Public Health Week; Dr. Nizar Wehbi, North Dakota State Health...
609: Tool Helps Assess Outdated HIV Laws and Policies, Fraser on Time as ASTHO CEO
Feb. 27, 2024

609: Tool Helps Assess Outdated HIV Laws and Policies, Fraser on Time as ASTHO CEO

Iyanrick John, vice president of External Affairs at ChangeLab Solutions, tells us about his organization partnering with the CDC to create a legal and policy assessment tool; Mike Fraser, ASTHO CEO, will be leaving the organization after more than...
567: Strategic Primer Helps PH Navigate Challenges; Lead, PFAS, and Food Safety Policy
Dec. 19, 2023

567: Strategic Primer Helps PH Navigate Challenges; Lead, PFAS, and Food Safety Policy

Mike Fraser, ASTHO chief executive officer, talks about the new book he wrote with Dr. Brian Castrucci, president and chief executive officer of the de Beaumont Foundation; Elke Shaw-Tulloch, public health administrator for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, says many agencies saw...
460: Big City Gun Violence Data, Drug Shortage Letter to Congress
July 14, 2023

460: Big City Gun Violence Data, Drug Shortage Letter to Congress

Chrissie Juliano, the Executive Director of the Big Cities Health Coalition, says that policy changes are needed to address rising rates of gun violence; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, explains recommendations from...
433: New AR Tool, Debt Ceiling Deal Explained
June 2, 2023

433: New AR Tool, Debt Ceiling Deal Explained

Michael Craig, Senior Advisor for Antibiotic Resistance, Antibiotic Resistance Coordination and Strategy Unit (ARX) for the CDC, says a new online tool maps federal investment in antimicrobial resistance programs at the state, territorial, and...
429: New Fall Prevention Guide, Debt Debate Drags On
May 26, 2023

429: New Fall Prevention Guide, Debt Debate Drags On

Katherine Palm, Senior Program Analyst for Injury and Violence Prevention with the National Association of County and City Health Officials, details a new clinical fall prevention guide; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO Senior Vice President, Government Affairs...
424: People Power, Movement on Spending Bills
May 19, 2023

424: People Power, Movement on Spending Bills

AJ Pearlman, Director of Public Health AmeriCorps, says the organization can provide the people to support agency infrastructure improvements; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, says there is...
399: Trust Strategies, Congress Gets Back to Work
April 14, 2023

399: Trust Strategies, Congress Gets Back to Work

Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, Senior Associate Dean at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health, reflects on restoring trust in public health; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO Senior Director of Government Affairs, tells us what to expect when...
379: Changes to Emergency Powers, Hill Gives ASTHO Recess Homework
March 17, 2023

379: Changes to Emergency Powers, Hill Gives ASTHO Recess Homework

Gregory Sunshine, Public Health Analyst with the Centers for Disease Control, explains how state and territorial emergency powers have shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic; and Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and...
352: Redefining Community Safety, New Capitol Hill Leadership
Feb. 7, 2023

352: Redefining Community Safety, New Capitol Hill Leadership

Chrissie Juliano, Executive Director of the Big Cities Health Coalition, says the Community Safety Campaign is about making sure people who live in communities have livable wages, and affordable and safe housing; Carolyn McCoy, ASTHO’s Senior...
350: Disability Etiquette, Self-Care Tips for Staff
Feb. 3, 2023

350: Disability Etiquette, Self-Care Tips for Staff

Dawn Skaggs, the Emergency, Disaster and Climate Resilience Specialist at World Institute on Disability, will help lead an ASTHO training event on Monday that will ask attendees to develop more equitable approaches in their work to support people...
348: WSJ on Fentanyl Dangers, COVID Emergency Ending
Feb. 1, 2023

348: WSJ on Fentanyl Dangers, COVID Emergency Ending

Julie Wernau, Health and Science Reporter at The Wall Street Journal, has been reporting on the opioid crisis for more than a year but says it’s still a difficult story to write; Andy Baker-White, ASTHO Senior Director of State Health Policy, says...
347: Educating Capitol Hill, Buffalo Preparedness
Jan. 31, 2023

347: Educating Capitol Hill, Buffalo Preparedness

Devon Page, ASTHO Government Affairs Analyst, says ASTHO wants to work with both parties in Congress to find common ground for the good of public health; Arnold Bogis, ASTHO Senior Analyst and Research Associate, tells us why Buffalo, New York needs...
346: Federal Budget Partners, Rural Telehealth Strategies
Jan. 30, 2023

346: Federal Budget Partners, Rural Telehealth Strategies

Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, is keeping an eye on the budget wrangling taking place on Capitol Hill; Ashley Cram, with ASTHO, explains how ASTHO members are working to help people in rural...
342: Racial Healing, Tech Helps Messaging
Jan. 24, 2023

342: Racial Healing, Tech Helps Messaging

Caroline Brunton, Program Officer for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, talks about the National Day of Racial Healing first celebrated by the Foundation seven years ago; Dr. Brannon Traxler, Director of Public Health with the South Carolina Department of...