Public Health Infrastructure Episodes

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...
658: Avian Flu Symposium Takeaways, Adolescent Immunization Toolkit
May 6, 2024

658: Avian Flu Symposium Takeaways, Adolescent Immunization Toolkit

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, elaborates on a blog he authored on takeaways from the recent Avian Flu Symposium; Katelyn Wells, chief research evaluation and development officer for the Association of Immunization Managers,...
656: Racism A Public Health Threat, Syndemic Approaches
May 2, 2024

656: Racism A Public Health Threat, Syndemic Approaches

Dr. Robert Goldstein, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and an ASTHO member, details his state’s Strategic Plan to Advance Racial Equity; Michelle Van Handel, associate director for the Program and Performance Improvement...
646: Climate Health Training, Updated PFAS Provider Guidance
April 18, 2024

646: Climate Health Training, Updated PFAS Provider Guidance

Ben Fulgencio-Turner, director of the Climate for Health Program at ecoAmerica, discusses a new ASTHO training program that connects the impacts of climate change to public health; Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, tells the news site...
639: Workforce Pipeline Progress, Strategies to Reduce Congenital Syphilis
April 9, 2024

639: Workforce Pipeline Progress, Strategies to Reduce Congenital Syphilis

AJ Pearlman, director of Public Health AmeriCorps, says more than 4-thousand people are learning about public health as part of the program; Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health, and Dr. Debra Bogen, acting secretary of...
633: Voting Impacts Public Health, States Make Transportation Connections
April 1, 2024

633: Voting Impacts Public Health, States Make Transportation Connections

Jeanne Ayers, ASTHO alum and executive director of Healthy Democracy Healthy People, says research has shown that a civically engaged community is a healthy community; Betty Bekemeier, professor at the University of Washington School of Nursing, tells...
631: Inspired by Public Health, TFAH Reports on Readiness
March 28, 2024

631: Inspired by Public Health, TFAH Reports on Readiness

Dr. Karen Smith, former director of the California Department of Public Health, tells us about the early days of her career; Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, president and CEO of Trust for America's Health, details the Ready or Not Report which gets specific...
630: Data Sharing Considerations, Alliance Benefits Women’s Health
March 27, 2024

630: Data Sharing Considerations, Alliance Benefits Women’s Health

Susan Bsharah, associate director at Guidehouse, discusses an upcoming TEFCA webinar set for April 4; Elizabeth Hertel, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and an ASTHO member, tells us about the “Good Housing = Good...
629: Long COVID Strategies, Updated ACEs Approaches
March 26, 2024

629: Long COVID Strategies, Updated ACEs Approaches

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, updates us on the Long COVID situation; Dr. Mark Levine, commissioner of health for the State of Vermont, tells us about ASTHO’s recently updated policy statement on adverse childhood experiences; and...
621: New Assessment of Public Health Authority, Federal Fund Braiding Guide
March 14, 2024

621: New Assessment of Public Health Authority, Federal Fund Braiding Guide

Dr. Michelle Mello, professor of Law at Stanford Law School and a professor of Health Policy at Stanford University School of Medicine, teamed up with colleagues at Temple University to study the legislative response to legal authority; Danielle...
617: Social Media Oversight, Spending Deadline Concerns
March 8, 2024

617: Social Media Oversight, Spending Deadline Concerns

Dr. Matthew Biel, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at Georgetown University Medical Center, worries about the impact of social media on young people; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO senior vice president for Government Affairs and Public Relations, says...
616: Social Media Epidemic, States Act to Address Youth Eating Disorders
March 7, 2024

616: Social Media Epidemic, States Act to Address Youth Eating Disorders

Dr. Matthew Biel, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at Georgetown University Medical Center, tells us social media is not necessarily a good part of childhood; Lexa Giragosian, ASTHO senior analyst for Maternal and Infant Health, says...
615: Grad Considers DELPH Colleagues Family, New ASTHO CEO is “Nice, Kind, Caring”
March 6, 2024

615: Grad Considers DELPH Colleagues Family, New ASTHO CEO is “Nice, Kind, Caring”

Keon Lewis, equity and development coordinator for the Cabarrus Health Alliance, talks about his experience as a recent graduate of ASTHO’s DELPH program; Dr. Joseph Kanter is ASTHO’s new CEO and begins his role in April; Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO...
614: New ASTHO CEO Announced
March 5, 2024

614: New ASTHO CEO Announced

Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO president and commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, announces Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO alum, as incoming CEO; Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO’s newly-announced CEO, who joins ASTHO from the Louisiana Department of...
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...
604: How to Build a Rural Health Workforce, Pacific Island Agencies Make PHIG Plans
Feb. 20, 2024

604: How to Build a Rural Health Workforce, Pacific Island Agencies Make PHIG Plans

Dr. Nizar Wehbi, ASTHO Member and North Dakota state health officer, says North Dakota has a plan to attract healthcare workers; Lindsey Myers, ASTHO vice president for Public Health Workforce and Infrastructure, tells us Pacific Island area public...
603: Report Calls for New Health Data Approach, ASTHO Members Plan Hill Visit
Feb. 16, 2024

603: Report Calls for New Health Data Approach, ASTHO Members Plan Hill Visit

Dr. Gabriel Seidman, Director of Policy at the Ellison Institute of Technology, details the need for a stronger nationwide health data ecosystem; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO Senior Director for Government Affairs, tells us how some topics on the Hill that...
576: State Health Assessments Inform Planning, How to Access Public Health Databases
Jan. 9, 2024

576: State Health Assessments Inform Planning, How to Access Public Health Databases

Dr. Edward Simmer, director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, dives deep into a new state health assessment; Melissa Touma, ASTHO’s director of the Public Health Infrastructure Program, tells us how Colorado used...
570: Policies Protect Health Data, Series Serves as Early-Warning System, ASTHO’s 2024 Federal Legislative Agenda
Dec. 22, 2023

570: Policies Protect Health Data, Series Serves as Early-Warning System, ASTHO’s 2024 Federal Legislative Agenda

Lillian Colasurdo, ASTHO director of Public Health Law and Data Sharing, discusses work to protect consumer data gathered from a growing number of health-related transactions; Mike Fraser, ASTHO CEO, reacts to the legislative prospectus series that he...
556: New Suicide Prevention Policy Statement, Testing Could Curb Newborn Syphilis Cases
Dec. 4, 2023

556: New Suicide Prevention Policy Statement, Testing Could Curb Newborn Syphilis Cases

Dr. Mark Levine, commissioner, Vermont Department of Health, says ASTHO’s new policy statement on suicide prevention offers many recommendations including a call to improve access to health care services for those at highest risk; Dr. Robert...
545: Medicaid and Public Health Collaborate, Covey’s Parting Advice
Nov. 15, 2023

545: Medicaid and Public Health Collaborate, Covey’s Parting Advice

Dr. Shannon Dowler, chief medical officer for North Carolina Medicaid, says healthcare gets better when state Medicaid and public health agencies take the time to understand each other; Dr. Matthew Christiansen, state health officer for the West...
544: New ASTHO Resource Center, How to Build External Trust
Nov. 14, 2023

544: New ASTHO Resource Center, How to Build External Trust

Brian Lentes, senior director of Public Health Infrastructure, ASTHO, discusses the supports offered by the ASTHO STAR Center; Stephen Covey, a well-known author, says leaders first need to build trust within the public health agency before expanding...
537: Presidential Reflections, Medicaid Successes
Nov. 2, 2023

537: Presidential Reflections, Medicaid Successes

Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska Chief Medical Officer and ASTHO Immediate Past President, reflects on her time at the head of the organization; Dr. Susan Kansagra (SHO-NC), North Carolina Assistant Public Health Secretary, says her agency...
530: Equity Policy Statement, New Maine Official Ponders Pandemic Lessons
Oct. 24, 2023

530: Equity Policy Statement, New Maine Official Ponders Pandemic Lessons

Dr. Joan Duwve, State Health Officer for the Kansas Department of Health, talks about the need to put equity at the center of all public health work; Dr. Puthiery Va, Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, explains that...