Public Health Careers Episodes

On today's episode, Candice Simon from the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs discusses the Maternal Health Innovation Leaders Mentorship Program and the value of meaningful professional guidance in public health.

On today's episode, the de Beaumont Foundation's Amanda Kwong discusses why effective public health communications go far beyond public awareness campaigns. Later, ASTHO's Ashley Nanthavongsa-Mosley highlights innovative efforts to introduce public health education into K-12 schools.

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.

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 ...

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 collaboration to make it happen, and what the results reveal about the public health workforce across the islands.

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 hepatitis B vaccine for newborns.

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 shortages, transportation inadequacies, and significant health disparities. The discussion highlights collaborative, evidence-based initiatives designed to ensure the long-term sustainability and quality of rural care.

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 analysis, real-time lab data exchange, and the power of cross-agency collaboration through Utah's Data Modernization Council. Yerkes also highlights the importance of academic partnerships and sustainable funding to ensure modernization efforts endure and evolve.

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.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...