Policy And Advocacy Episodes
March 16, 2026
1086: Strengthening Policy Skills for STI Prevention: Inside ASTHO’s Policy Institute
In this episode, ASTHO's JoAnne Deehr highlights ASTHO’s Policy Institute for STI and Infectious Disease Prevention and its offerings to state health agencies and public health professionals.
Guest: JoAnne Deehr MSW
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 approach to hypertension. From telehealth and remote blood pressure monitoring to expanded insurance coverage, policymakers are leveraging new technology to improve heart health across the lifespan. Later, Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s senior director of government affairs, shares wha...
Guests: Jeffrey Ekoma, MBA, MS , Beth Giambrone, MPP
498
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...
Guests: John Wiesman DrPH MPH , Finn Lanning
496
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...
Guests: Catherine Murphy , Allison Arwady, MD, MPH
491
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,...
439
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,...
Guests: John Auerbach MBA , Sharon Gilmartin MPH
423
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...
Guests: Richard Hamburg MPA , Marita Chilton MPH
296
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;...
269
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...
Guests: Julia Rivera , Amber Gibbar
256
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...
243
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...
Guests: Jill Hunsaker Ryan MPH , Nizar Webhi MD MPH
220
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...
178
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...
71
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...
Guests: Jeffrey Ekoma, MBA, MS , Chrissie Juliano MPP
44
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...
Guests: Carolyn Mullen , Michael Craig MPP
40
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...
Guests: Carolyn Mullen , Katherine Palm MSW
35
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...
Guests: Carolyn Mullen , AJ Pearlman, JD
10
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...
263
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...
Guests: Gregory Sunshine JD , Carolyn Mullen
235
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...
Guests: Carolyn McCoy, MPH , Chrissie Juliano MPP
233
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...
Guests: Chris Taylor , Dawn Skaggs
231
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...
Guests: Andy Baker-White, JD, MPH , Julie Wernau
230
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...
229
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...
Guests: Ashley Cram, MPH , Carolyn Mullen