Public Health Workers Episodes
Sept. 14, 2026
1204: New Jersey’s Public Health Priorities: Preparedness, Access to Care, and Communication
ASTHO member and New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Raynard Washington discusses his plans to strengthen the state's public health infrastructure, pulling from his past experience in North Carolina and Philadelphia.
Guest: Raynard Washington, PhD, MPH
Aug. 24, 2026
1191: Community Health Workers: Building a Sustainable Workforce
In recognition of National Community Health Workers Week, ASTHO’s Ashley Cram dives into how states are supporting this essential field through training, supervision, career pathways, and sustainable funding.
Guest: Ashley Cram, MPH
May 4, 2026
1118: Bridging the Rural Health Gap: Building Capacity, Workforce, and Connection
On today's episode, Melanie Ramsey from CDC’s Office of Rural Health addresses rural public health challenges. She shares how the Rural Health Academy offers state and local health leaders the opportunity to strengthen capacity and meet jurisdictional needs.
Guest: Melanie Ramsey, EMBA
415
Oct. 14, 2025
1010: PHIG For Workforce & Procurement
Scott Murakami, PHIG workforce director and principal investigator with the Hawaii State Department of Health, shares how his department is utilizing Public Health Infrastructure Grant funds to support the state’s public health workforce; Melissa Touma, director of the public health infrastructure program at ASTHO, discusses...
392
Sept. 10, 2025
987: One Health, Fall Vaccination Season
Dr. Catherine Brown, state epidemiologist and state public health veterinarian at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, discusses ASTHO’s recent meeting with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) and the importance of the One Health approach; a recent ASTHO blog article details the importance of ensuring animals are accounted for during radiological incidents; Dr. Dave Chokshi, chair of the Common Health Coalition..
409
Nov. 27, 2024
800: Hemp’s Hazy Status, Climate Change Impacts Health Equity
Christina Severin, ASTHO’s director of Public Health Law, dives into the ins and outs of the status of hemp; Linda Helland, manager of California’s Climate Change and Health Equity Branch at the California Department of Public Health, tells us...
770
Oct. 1, 2024
761: Public Health Career Pathway, OTC Syphilis Test
Dr. Steven Stack, MD, MBA, Commissioner for Public Health and Chief Medical Officer, Commonwealth of Kentucky, and ASTHO President, discusses a partnership with HBCU Kentucky State University to bolster the public health workforce; Julia Greenspan,...
Guests: Steven Stack, MD , Julia Greenspan MPH CHES
319
July 19, 2024
710: Workforce Burnout Strategies, Naloxone Saturation Academy
Melissa Jezior, CEO of Eagle Hill Consulting, says burnout on the decline continues to create challenges in the workplace; Dr. Yngvild Olsen, director of the Center for Substance Use Treatment at SAMHSA, tells us the Naloxone Saturation Policy Academy...
Guests: Melissa Jezior , Yngvild Olsen MD MPH
307
July 2, 2024
697: Best of PHRME: Pacific Islands Embrace PHIG Investments, New Dashboard Calculates Heat Risk
This special episode of Public Health Review Morning Edition revisits a popular episode from May 24th, 2024. ASTHO staff, members, and alumni, discuss a recent meeting focused on the implementation of the Public Health Infrastructure Grant program for...
265
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...
260
April 25, 2024
651: Building Non-Traditional Partnerships, Health Equity Alliance
Corinne Gillenwater, ASTHO chronic disease and health improvement analyst, talks about an ASTHO toolkit that uses the Healthy People 2030 framework to help build partnerships; Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, says today’s Avian Flu...
259
April 24, 2024
650: Avian Symposium Happens Tomorrow, Gen Z Interested in PH
Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO Chief Medical Officer, previews a national symposium on avian flu; Jack McClure, a public health consultant with the Association of Immunization Managers, helps us understand how to reach younger people interested in public...
251
April 12, 2024
642: Black Maternal Health Week, PH Appropriations Book
Chemyeeka Tumblin, a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in perinatal and maternal mental health, outlines the importance of Black Maternal Health Week; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO's senior director for government affairs, discusses ASTHO’s...
248
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...
240
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...
226
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...
180
Dec. 21, 2023
569: Former Surgeon General Explains the Pandemic Response, Barriers to Family + Reproductive Health
Dr. Jerome Adams, the 20th U.S. surgeon general and current executive director of Health Equity Initiatives at Purdue University, who was the Surgeon General during the pandemic discusses his new book; Maggie Davis, ASTHO director of State Health...
Guests: Maggie Davis JD MA , Jerome M. Adams MD MPH
168
Dec. 5, 2023
557: Pharmacists Give RSV Vaccine Without Prescription, PH Needs to Boost Strategic Skillset
Dr. Jim McDonald, commissioner of Health, New York State Department of Health, gives an order that allows New York pharmacists to administer RSV vaccines to older adults and pregnant people without a prescription; de Beaumont President and CEO Dr....
118
Sept. 20, 2023
507: New Vaccine Poll Data, Blogs Help PH Workers Connect
Dr. Gillian SteelFisher, Director of Global Polling at the Harvard Opinion Research Program, shares the results from a study on public perception of COVID-19, RSV and Flu; Dr. Jennifer Thomas, Employee Wellbeing and Resilience Program Manager at the...
89
Aug. 9, 2023
478: Mapping Opioid Response, Managing FTE Caps
Maggie Davis, ASTHO Director of State Health Policy, outlines ASTHO’s new Public Health Legal Mapping Center tool aimed to highlight policies that may prevent overdose; Liljana Baddour, ASTHO’s Senior Director for Workforce Development, says...
Guests: Maggie Davis JD MA , Liljana Baddour MPH
88
Aug. 8, 2023
477: PH-HERO Set to Grow, Dialysis Patient Voices
Omar Khalid, ASTHO’s Director of Workforce Development, explains the expansion of ASTHO’s Public Health – Hope, Equity, Resilience, and Opportunity (PH-HERO) initiative; Erin Laird, ASTHO’s Director of Emerging Infections, says preventing...
Guests: Omar Khalid , Erin Laird MPH
84
Aug. 2, 2023
473: Rethinking Rural Immunization Strategies, Expanding Mental Health Coverage
Melissa Magstadt, Cabinet Secretary for the South Dakota Department of Health, says healthcare must meet patients where they live; Ali Maffey, ASTHO’s Vice President of Social and Behavioral Health, explains approaches to making mental healthcare...
67
July 10, 2023
456: PH Communicators Assemble, Website Helps SC Workforce Recover
Robert Jennings, Executive Director at the National Public Health Information Coalition, shares what to expect from this year’s National Conference on Health Communication; Nicholas Davidson, Senior Deputy for Public Health and the Director for...
Guests: Robert Jennings , Nicholas Davidson MS
110
July 26, 2022
227: Best of ME: Hope for the PH Workforce
This special edition revisits a popular episode of Public Health Review Morning Edition from April 20th. Dr. Bruce Perry offers encouragement for the public health workforce; Dr. Gillian SteelFisher explains how public health leaders might use the...