Strategic Planning Episodes

On today's episode, ASTHO's Danny Staley discusses how innovation and capacity building can help health departments adapt by strengthening the workforce and using data in new ways.

On today's episode, ASTHO's Sara Bell and Alice Schenall discuss how public health agencies can turn strategic plans into measurable progress and lead through change and uncertainty.

On today's episode, CDC's Paige Armstrong explains how the organization works with partners around the world to detect and contain emerging health threats before they reach U.S. communities. Also, Marcus Plescia from the Fulton County Board of Health in Atlanta discusses preparations underway for the FIFA World Cup.

On today's episode, Melissa Sever from the Public Health Accreditation Board tells us about the Strengthening Public Health Workforce Capacity in Island Jurisdictions Project and the unique workforce challenges facing island jurisdictions.

On today's episode, ASTHO member Ayanna Bennett discusses the Potomac River sewage spill, the public health risks it created, and the coordination required between local, state, and federal agencies to protect residents. Later, ASTHO’s Jen Layden explains why partnerships are central to ASTHO’s 2026–2029 strategic plan.

On today's PHIG Impact Report, leaders from the Tennessee Department of Health (Sanjana Stamm and Jen Trail) share how they’re using PHIG funding to transform care at both the clinical and community levels, including the use of care coordinators across rural areas, and targeted grant management.

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.

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.

In this episode, Kirsten Aird, from Oregon’s Multnomah County, explores how strategic investments are strengthening workforce capacity, stability, and community impact.

Suicide remains one of the most urgent and complex public health challenges in the United States, with more than 49,000 lives lost in 2023 alone. In this episode, ASTHO’s director of state health policy, JoAnne Deehr, breaks down how states are responding with more targeted, data-driven strategies.

On today's episode, Cornell University's Elsie Moore breaks down food system resilience and why it's more than just food supply maintenance.

What does calm leadership actually look like when everything feels urgent, political, and on fire?  In this episode, John Auerbach, senior vice president of health at ICF, offers a preview of ASTHO’s upcoming Insight & Inspiration webinar, 'Steady Hands, Steady Teams: Leading with Confidence and Composure,' on February 11, and digs into the real-world skills behind steady leadership in volatile times. From pandemic burnout to nonstop crises, today’s public health leaders are navigating faster information cycles, rising mistrust, misinformation, and exhausted teams. So how do you keep people focused, grounded, and moving forward? We’ll also hear from Dr. Manisha Juthani, ASTHO president and Connecticut commissioner of public health, who is co-hosting the webinar.

ASTHO is entering a pivotal moment for public health, and it has a new strategic plan to meet it. In this episode, ASTHO CEO, Dr. Joseph Kanter, unpacks how ASTHO developed its 2026–2029 strategic plan and why now was the right time for a refresh. Dr. Kanter walks through the inclusive, year-long planning process, the rapidly shifting public health landscape that shaped the plan, and the four core pillars guiding ASTHO’s work...

New CDC surveillance data show encouraging declines in several sexually transmitted infections—but a troubling increase in syphilis among newborns. In this episode, the Director of the Division of STD Prevention at CDC's National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Dr. Bradley Stoner, breaks down the key takeaways from the 2024 Provisional STI Surveillance report, including declines in chlamydia, gonorrhea, and primary and secondary syphilis, alongside the continued rise in congenital syphilis.

What happens when the federal government steps back and states are asked to lead? Continuing our Legislative Prospectus Series, which examines the public health policy trends set to shape 2026, ASTHO President and Connecticut Commissioner of Public Health, Dr. Manisha Juthani, joins the show to discuss the creation of a new public health emergency funding safety net and the difficult decisions leaders face when planning amid constant uncertainty. Later, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Public Health Infrastructure, Brian Lentes, breaks down key federal funding streams, governance models, and practical steps states can take to stabilize infrastructure, modernize data systems, and support the public health workforce.

As health departments modernize their data systems, an unexpected challenge has emerged: traditional public health job classifications no longer match the reality of today’s data landscape. In this episode, Ari Whiteman, ASTHO’s senior advisor for public health data and informatics workforce, talks about why the field urgently needs new informatics-focused roles, and what it will take to build them.

Dr. Edward Simmer, ASTHO member and interim director of the South Carolina Department of Public Health, celebrates the department’s one-year anniversary with a recap of their achievements, including the highest health ranking in the state’s history; Dr. Bryant Thomas Karras, the Washington State Department of Health’s chief medical informatics officer,...

Erin Penniston, chief of staff of public health services at the Maryland Department of Health, describes how ASTHO’s Peer Assessment Program helped her state’s health department strengthen its administrative infrastructure; Kelsey Tillema, senior analyst at ASTHO, shares...

Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, ASTHO member and chief medical executive for the State of Michigan, explains how Michigan’s multifaceted approach has reduced overdose deaths across the state; Heidi Westermann, director of public health data modernization and informatics at ASTHO...

Catherine Murphy, government affairs analyst at ASTHO, describes the impact of potential cuts to federally funded public health preparedness programs in a new Federal Health Policy Update; Monique Farmer, president of Avant Solutions, shares what she’ll be discussing in today’s ASTHO webinar on public health communication strategies...

In today's PHIG Impact Report, Dr. Robert Goldstein, ASTHO member and the commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, takes us through how his department is using the Public Health Infrastructure Grant.

In today's PHIG Impact Report, Patricia Tilley, associate commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, details the critical needs the Public Health Infrastructure Grant has helped with in her state.

Dr. Kenneth Fink, director of the Hawaii Department of Health, an ASTHO member and a retired Air Force colonel, tells us how the military prepared him for his role in public health; Sara Bell, ASTHO senior analyst for Public Health Systems and...

Dr. Karen Hacker, director of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the CDC, says Medicaid and Medicare may be able to help keep community health workers on the front lines; Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, vice president and...