Public Health Careers Episodes

1045: Bringing Island Voices Into the Data: Inside the First PH WINS Territories Survey
Dec. 18, 2025

1045: Bringing Island Voices Into the Data: Inside the First PH WINS Territories Survey

For the first time, all eight U.S. territories and freely associated states have been included in PH-WINS, or the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey. Rachel Hare Bork joins the show to discuss how this landmark pilot effort came together, why it took extensive travel and collaborati…
1040: Michigan’s Chief Medical Executive Discusses the Stakes of ACIP’s Vote on Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns
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…
1030: Rural Health in Focus: State Strategies for Transformation
Nov. 19, 2025

1030: Rural Health in Focus: State Strategies for Transformation

In this episode, health leaders from Iowa, Maine and Mississippi share their strategies for revitalizing rural healthcare. We hear excerpts from an ASTHO media briefing featuring ASTHO members as they address the urgent challenges facing millions of rural Americans, including healthcare provider sh…
1029: PHIG Impact Report: How Utah Builds a Modern Public Health Data System
Nov. 18, 2025

1029: PHIG Impact Report: How Utah Builds a Modern Public Health Data System

In today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, Nicole Yerkes, data modernization director with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, shares how the state is using PHIG funding to advance a unified, future-ready public health data system. She discusses innovations like AI-assisted ana…
1006: PHIG Funding The Future Workforce
Oct. 7, 2025

1006: PHIG Funding The Future Workforce

In today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, Celeste Jorge, epidemiologist and evaluator with the Connecticut Department of Public Health, discusses how her department is using the Public Health Infrastructure Grant.
896: Get To Know ASTHO, PH in the Classroom
April 30, 2025

896: Get To Know ASTHO, PH in the Classroom

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, begins the new “Get To Know ASTHO” series, which will highlight different experts at ASTHO; Madison Yerges, section supervisor for the student education section at the Center for Foundational Health, part of the...
856: Kansagra New ASTHO CMO, “Career Honeycomb”
March 5, 2025

856: Kansagra New ASTHO CMO, “Career Honeycomb”

Dr. Susan Kansagra, former ASTHO member and most recently the assistant secretary and state health officer for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, has been named ASTHO’s new chief medical officer; Jennifer Schmidt, PHIG fund manager...
837: Oregon Health Forward Initiative, ASTHO Supports Workforce Well-Being
Feb. 5, 2025

837: Oregon Health Forward Initiative, ASTHO Supports Workforce Well-Being

Dr. Sejal Hathi, director of the Oregon Health Authority and an ASTHO Member, explains her state’s bold initiative to eliminate health inequities; Kelsey Tillema, ASTHO senior workforce analyst, tells us about a new resource ASTHO has to support...
798: Public Health Thank You Day
Nov. 25, 2024

798: Public Health Thank You Day

Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president and state health officer of the Alabama Department of Public Health and Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, share their thoughts on Public Health Thank You Day; and Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American...
797: Health Equity Institute Launch, Community Design Supports Healthy Aging
Nov. 22, 2024

797: Health Equity Institute Launch, Community Design Supports Healthy Aging

Dr. Awele Maduka-Ezeh, medical director for the Delaware Division of Public Health, details the launch of the Health Equity Institute of Delaware; Ken Rose, branch chief for the Physical Activity and Health Program in the Division of Nutrition,...
795: Psychology Diversity, Rulemaking Improvements
Nov. 20, 2024

795: Psychology Diversity, Rulemaking Improvements

Dr. Charmain Jackman, licensed psychologist and founder and CEO of InnoPsych, tells us how InnoPsych plans to diversify the psychology workforce; Tami Thompson, Regulatory Affairs manager at the Washington State Department of Health, discusses how...
793: Braiding & Layering Funds, EPA PFAS Limits
Nov. 18, 2024

793: Braiding & Layering Funds, EPA PFAS Limits

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...
596: Environmental Health Careers, Providers Don’t Feel Equipped to Treat Harmful Algal Blooms
Feb. 7, 2024

596: Environmental Health Careers, Providers Don’t Feel Equipped to Treat Harmful Algal Blooms

Larry Michael, State Environmental Health Director at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, tells us about the many public health careers available to people interested in science and public service; Marissa Vigar, Health...
526: Youth Substance Use Interventions, PH Jobs Website Attracts Candidates
Oct. 18, 2023

526: Youth Substance Use Interventions, PH Jobs Website Attracts Candidates

Dr. Sarah Stoddard, a member of the Community Preventive Services Task Force with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, says the organization reviewed 60 studies to determine what can help prevent substance use among young people; Dr....
523: Making Decisions During a Crisis, PH Help Wanted
Oct. 13, 2023

523: Making Decisions During a Crisis, PH Help Wanted

ASTHO CEO Dr. Mike Fraser and Dr. Ray Barishansky, Former Deputy Secretary for Health Preparedness and Community Protection at the Pennsylvania Department of Health, explain new research on barriers to decision making in public health response; Dr....
503: Michigan’s Behavioral Health Budget, Better Data to Address Childhood Lead Poisoning
Sept. 14, 2023

503: Michigan’s Behavioral Health Budget, Better Data to Address Childhood Lead Poisoning

Elizabeth Hertel, Director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, says a new budget for the state expands resident’s access to behavioral health services; Taffany Huang, Nurse Consultant Specialist for the State of California...
502: Rural Health Plan, Age-Friendly Public Health Systems
Sept. 13, 2023

502: Rural Health Plan, Age-Friendly Public Health Systems

Dr. Ralph Alvarado, Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Health, explains the work the Tennessee Rural Health Care Task Force sets out to do; Dr. Karon Phillips, Policy Development Manager at Trust for America's Health; shares a funding...
468: Pandemic Preps, New Ways to Think About Public Health
July 26, 2023

468: Pandemic Preps, New Ways to Think About Public Health

Dr. Thomas Dobbs, ASTHO Alum and Dean of the John D. Bower School of Population Health at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, says growth is needed in public health to be prepared for the next pandemic; Raymond Neal, Project Director at...
467: ASTHO Releases Authority Policy Statement, CDC Kicks Off School Vaccination Campaign
July 25, 2023

467: ASTHO Releases Authority Policy Statement, CDC Kicks Off School Vaccination Campaign

Andy Baker-White, ASTHO’s Senior Director of State Health Policy, outlines three new policy recommendations on Public Health Legal Authority; Dr. Georgina Peacock, the Director of the Immunization Services Division in the National Center for...
264: New PH Job Website
Sept. 16, 2022

264: New PH Job Website

Joanne Pearsol, ASTHO’s Director of Workforce Development, discusses a new careers website helping people and organizations connect; Mike Fraser, ASTHO’s Chief Executive Officer, joined an online news conference to discuss a White House proposal...