Spring Leadership Forum Episodes

On today's episode, ASTHO's Catherine Jones shares the biggest takeaways from this year's Spring Leadership Forum, from the growing impact of the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) to the urgent push for $1 billion in FY27 funding.

Today: bringing oral health into the public health conversation with Flora Nathan, assistant secretary for the Bureau of Oral Health in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. At her first ASTHO Spring Leadership Forum, Flora shares a candid look at the challenges and opportunities of delivering oral healthcare across a U.S. remote island nation. From severe workforce shortages and long clinic wait times to the ripple effects on families, schools, and local economies, she highlights how oral health is deeply connected to broader public health outcomes. She also discusses the importance of integrating oral health into maternal and child health programs, school-based care, and community outreach, as well as the realities of operating without consistent funding.

At this year’s ASTHO Spring Leadership Forum, Gaafar Uherbelau, advisor to the president of Palau and former minister of Health and Human Services, shared the story behind a long-awaited solution to a quiet but growing challenge in public health. Palau’s new transition facility is designed for individuals who are medically cleared to leave the hospital but have nowhere to go or no one to care for them. What sounds like a simple fix is actually the result of decades of cultural shifts, resource c...

On today's episode, Justa Encarnacion, ASTHO member and commissioner of health for the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Health, shared how island jurisdictions are tackling some of the nation’s toughest health challenges using real-time data, advanced training, and wastewater surveillance.

In today's episode, hear updates from ASTHO's Spring Leadership Forum. ASTHO member Natasha Bagdasarian shares how bipartisan conversations with members of Congress revealed a shared commitment to healthier communities. Plus, ASTHO's Carolyn Mullen provides a behind-the-scenes look at meetings with lawmakers during Hill Day.

In this episode, ASTHO CEO, Dr. Joseph Kanter, shares key insights from this year’s Spring Leadership Forum, an in-person opportunity to exchange lessons learned, strengthen peer support, and tackle the complex realities facing public health leaders today. From a productive visit with leadership at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to renewed conversations about partnerships around healthy eating and chronic disease prevention, Dr. Kanter reflects on why strong federal–state coll...

Today, two conversations highlight how policy shapes public health, both in communities and on Capitol Hill. First, Beth Giambrone, senior analyst for state health policy at ASTHO, explains how states are rethinking their approach to hypertension. From telehealth and remote blood pressure monitoring to expanded insurance coverage, policymakers are leveraging new technology to improve heart health across the lifespan. Later, Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s senior director of government affairs, shares wha...

Deputy secretary for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Ashley Goss, shares how her agency’s new health and environment laboratories are transforming public health response with expanded laboratory capabilities; Get to know ASTHO's Catherine Murphy...

Dr. Allison Arwady, director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC, tells us about historic progress in the field of overdose prevention; Catherine Murphy, ASTHO government affairs analyst, discusses the advocacy effort...

Sharon Gilmartin, executive director of the Safe States Alliance, tells us about the Keep America Safe Coalition; Dr. Victor Ramos, secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Health and an ASTHO member, breaks down the health priorities for Puerto...

Robbyn Kistler, senior consultant for the Social Impact Media Program at KFF, tells us about recent syphilis videos that ASTHO, KFF, and CDC created; Theresa Arriola, director of the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services, discusses the importance of face-to-face interactions at ASTHO’s Spring Leadership...

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, highlights public health workers as National Public Health Week wraps up this weekend; Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president and Alabama state health officer, outlines public health priorities to Congress; Jacki Tulafono,...

Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president and Alabama state health officer, testified before Congress about the needs of Public Health; Emi Chutaro, the executive director of the Pacific Island Health Officers Association, recently spoke to leaders on Capitol...

Alexis Travis, ASTHO Alumni Society chair, and assistant provost and executive director of University Health and Wellbeing at Michigan State University, details a few priorities for National Public Health Week; Arnice Yuji, Director of the Bureau of Health System Administration...

John Vick, director of the Office of Primary Prevention at the Tennessee Department of Health, discusses how important partnerships are since many industries affect public health; Esther Muna, chief executive officer of the CNMI Commonwealth...

Ryan Jury, assistant division director for operational excellence with the Department of Health and Human Services in North Carolina, tells us what he has learned from the ASTHO Leadership Institute and the ASTHO Spring Leadership Forum; Justa Encarnacion...

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, gives examples from across the country of success stories that stem from the Public Health Infrastructure Grant in the latest PHIG Impact Report.

Amelia Poulin, assistant director of emerging infectious disease at ASTHO, gives an update on public health’s battle against tuberculosis on World TB Day; Moses Pretrick, assistant secretary for health for the Federated States of Micronesia, tells...

Erin Laird, ASTHO director of emerging infections, explains how states are taking action against sepsis; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for government affairs, tells us how the recently signed continuing resolution affects funding for public...

Dr. Jerome Larkin, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health and an ASTHO Member, explains how his state achieved such impressive vaccination rates; Dr. Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge, ASTHO's senior vice president of Health Initiatives...

Dr. Daniel Edney, state health officer for the Mississippi State Department of Health and an ASTHO member, tells us how his meeting on Capitol Hill went this week; the Essentials of Leadership and Management Workshop Series kicks off on Wednesday,...

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, brings us an update directly from ASTHO’s 2025 Spring Leadership Forum; and an upcoming webinar focuses on the positive impact Public Health AmeriCorps can provide.

Dr. Mark Levine, commissioner of health for the State of Vermont and an ASTHO Member, looks back on his time as commissioner as he gets ready to depart his post; Melissa Touma, ASTHO director of the Public Health Infrastructure Program, tells us how a...

Avia Mason, ASTHO vice president of Leadership and Learning, tells us what to expect from ASTHO’s 2025 Spring Executive Leadership Forum; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for Government Affairs, takes us through some of the priorities for meetings on...