Public Health Episodes

437: Urgent Data Needs, Becoming the Healthiest State
June 8, 2023

437: Urgent Data Needs, Becoming the Healthiest State

Dr. Janelle Palacios, a member of the Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality, says there is an urgent need to improve health outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native mothers and their babies; Julia Greenspan, ASTHO Director of...
Guests: Julia Greenspan MPH CHES , Nizar Webhi MD MPH , Janelle Palacios PhD CNM
436: Disability Inclusion Steps, Healthy People 2030 Champions
June 7, 2023

436: Disability Inclusion Steps, Healthy People 2030 Champions

Annie Evans, ASTHO’s Director of Preparedness and Disability Integration, previews an article she wrote for the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice about disability inclusion in health agencies; Carter Blakey, Deputy Director of the...
Guests: Annie Evans MPH , Carter Blakey
435: Training Fearless Leaders, PH Authority Dashboard
June 6, 2023

435: Training Fearless Leaders, PH Authority Dashboard

Dr. Marissa Levine, Director of the Center for Leadership in Public Health Practice at the University of South Florida, says the PHEARLESS Initiative launching today aims to bring public health and community members together;  Maggie Davis, ASTHO...
Guests: Edward Ehlinger MD MSPH , Maggie Davis JD MA , Marissa Levine MPH
434: Mpox Concerns, Newborn Screening Policies
June 5, 2023

434: Mpox Concerns, Newborn Screening Policies

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, Deputy Coordinator of the Mpox National Response for the White House, shares steps public health leaders can take to protect against a potential rise in Mpox cases; Christina Severin, Director of Public Health Law at ASTHO,...
Guests: Demetre Daskalakis MD MPH , Christina W. Severin BSN JD
372: Pew Polls PH Officials, ASTHO Meets the Administration
March 8, 2023

372: Pew Polls PH Officials, ASTHO Meets the Administration

Alec Tyson, Associate Director of Research at the PEW Research Center, previews a survey of Americans’ views of public health officials and their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic; Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO President and Chief Medical Officer for the...
Guests: Anne Zink MD FACEP , Alec Tyson
205: Why Listening is Important in Public Health
June 23, 2022

205: Why Listening is Important in Public Health

Dr. Randall Williams, Missouri’s former Director of the Department of Health and Senior Services, joins us for a special edition of the newscast to discuss his upcoming book and the importance of listening in public health.
Guest: Randall Williams MD
159: Do People Trust Public Health?
April 18, 2022

159: Do People Trust Public Health?

Dr. Gillian SteelFisher, Deputy Director of the Harvard Opinion Research Program, says a recent poll finds most U.S. adults think public health agencies are important to their communities; Richard Quartarone, a health communicator in the CDC’s...
Guests: Gillian SteelFisher PhD MSc , Richard Quartarone
124: ASTHO Heads to Capitol Hill
Feb. 23, 2022

124: ASTHO Heads to Capitol Hill

Carolyn McCoy, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Federal Government Affairs, shares how public health leaders will engage with Members of Congress today in virtual Hill Day meetings; Amber Williams, ASTHO’s Senior Vice President of Leadership and...
Guests: Carolyn McCoy MPH , Amber Williams MS
117: ASTHO’s New Strategic Plan
Feb. 11, 2022

117: ASTHO’s New Strategic Plan

Zarnaaz Bashir, ASTHO’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, says the organization’s new strategic plan was created during and influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic; Dr. Robert Bourgeois, an occupational and environmental health expert working along the...
Guests: Zarnaaz Bashir , Robert Bourgeois MD MPH FACOEM
98: MLK and Health Equity
Jan. 14, 2022

98: MLK and Health Equity

ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser considers Dr. Martin Luther King’s influence on public health and his impact on the organization’s approach to equity; Dr. Alexis Travis, Michigan’s State Health Officer, tells us how the civil rights icon has influenced...
Guests: Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge MD MPH , Michael Fraser PhD MS CAE FCPP , Alexis Travis PhD , John Wiesman DrPH MPH
92: School Nurses Navigate Omicron’s Surge
Jan. 6, 2022

92: School Nurses Navigate Omicron’s Surge

Dr. Linda Mendonca, President of the National Association of School Nurses, explains how her members are coping with students’ return to classrooms amid the threat of the Omicron variant; Robert Jennings, Executive Director of the National Public...
Guests: Linda Mendonca DNP MEd PHNA-BC NCSN FNASN , Robert Jennings
91: Immunization Proposals Await Action
Jan. 5, 2022

91: Immunization Proposals Await Action

Andy Baker White, ASTHO’s Senior Director of State Health Policy, discusses immunization proposals scheduled for consideration in legislatures across the nation; Caroline Chen, a journalist writing for ProPublica, connects syphilis to the public...
Guests: Andy Baker-White JD MPH , Caroline Chen
89: Fighting COVID-19 in the Pacific
Dec. 21, 2021

89: Fighting COVID-19 in the Pacific

Karl Ensign, ASTHO’s Vice President of Territorial Support, shares lessons learned fighting COVID-19 in the U.S. territories; Kelly Wroblewski, Director of Infectious Disease Programs at the Association of Public Health Laboratories, says labs are...
Guests: Karl Ensign , Kelly Wroblewski
88: Labs Prepared for Winter
Dec. 20, 2021

88: Labs Prepared for Winter

ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser hopes the new year signals a shift in the pandemic; Kelly Wroblewski, Director of Infectious Diseases for the Association of Public Health Laboratories, says labs are ready for whatever the pandemic brings this winter; ASTHO...
Guest: Kelly Wroblewski
84: Vaccine Anniversary and Lawsuit
Dec. 14, 2021

84: Vaccine Anniversary and Lawsuit

Mike Fraser, ASTHO’s CEO, recognizes the first anniversary of a COVID-19 vaccine and discusses hesitancy; Professor Dorit Reiss, University of California Hastings College of the Law, examines the legal arguments behind a lawsuit challenging New York...
Guests: Michael Fraser PhD MS CAE FCPP , Dorit Rubinstein Reiss LLB PhD
83: Senate Vaccine Mandate Resolution
Dec. 13, 2021

83: Senate Vaccine Mandate Resolution

Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, says it’s unlikely Congress will roll back one of President Biden’s vaccine mandates; Devon Page, a government affairs analyst at ASTHO, tells us how...
Guests: Carolyn Mullen , Devon Page , Katie Lamansky
82: Vaccine Awareness
Dec. 10, 2021

82: Vaccine Awareness

Kim Martin, ASTHO’s Director of Immunization, tells us how an event like National Influenza Vaccination Week impacts vaccination awareness; ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser says communities weary of COVID-19 cannot afford to let their guard down; and Dr....
Guests: Nicole Alexander-Scott MD MPH , Kimberly Martin
77: ASTHO Reacts to Winter COVID Strategy
Dec. 3, 2021

77: ASTHO Reacts to Winter COVID Strategy

ASTHO leaders react to President Biden’s winter COVID-19 strategy. Dr. Nirav Shah, ASTHO President and Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO’s Chief Medical Officer, discuss booster shots,...
Guests: Marcus Plescia MD MPH , Nirav Shah MD JD , Felecia Barrow
75: World AIDS Day Impact
Dec. 1, 2021

75: World AIDS Day Impact

Dr. Stephen Lee, Executive Director of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, talks about World AIDS Day and the opportunities for public health agencies; Dr. Umair Shah, Washington’s Secretary of Health, explains how...
74: The White House Celebrates Public Health
Nov. 30, 2021

74: The White House Celebrates Public Health

Several ASTHO members attend a White House event in appreciation of public health workers across the states and territories. ASTHO President Dr. Nirav Shah, ASTHO President-Elect Dr. Anne Zink, California’s Dr. Tomas Aragon, and Dr. LaQuandra...
Guests: Nirav Shah MD JD , Anne Zink MD FACEP , LaQuandra Nesbitt MD MPH , Steven Stack MD , Tomás Aragón MD
73: Alzheimer’s Strategy
Nov. 29, 2021

73: Alzheimer’s Strategy

Dr. Alexis Travis, Michigan’s Senior Deputy Director at the Department of Health and Human Services, explains her focus on caring for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias; Janet Hamilton, Executive Director of the Council of State and...
Guests: Joshua Berry MPH , Janet Hamilton MPH , Alexis Travis PhD
72: Public Health Thank You Day
Nov. 22, 2021

72: Public Health Thank You Day

ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser offers his thoughts on today’s Public Health Thank You Day celebration recognizing public health workers across the states and territories. He also previews a special event at the White House scheduled for Noon eastern time;...
Guests: Michael Fraser PhD MS CAE FCPP , Stephen Lee
70: An MD to Lead ONDCP
Nov. 18, 2021

70: An MD to Lead ONDCP

ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser says the appointment of Dr. Rahul Gupta, the former West Virginia health commissioner, to be Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy,  is good news for states and territories; Chris Salyers,...
Guests: Joshua Berry MPH , Michael Fraser PhD MS CAE FCPP , Chris Salyers DHSc , Alexis Travis PhD
69: Tribal Communities COVID Response
Nov. 17, 2021

69: Tribal Communities COVID Response

Lynn Trujillo, Secretary of the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department, explains the challenges and successes of the COVID-19 response in her state’s tribal communities; Mylynn Tufte, North Dakota’s former state health official, prepares to discuss...
Guests: Richa Ranade MPH , Lynn Trujillo