Trust And Public Health Episodes
July 16, 2026
1167: PFAS, Public Trust, and the Power of Partnership
Christen Linke Young, cabinet secretary for the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, discusses the collaborative, cross-agency approach Delaware has built to address PFAS contamination and other environmental health concerns in the state.
Guest: Christen Linke Young, JD
Dec. 18, 2025
1045: Bringing Island Voices Into the Data: Inside the First PH WINS Territories Survey
For the first time, all eight U.S. territories and freely associated states have been included in PH-WINS, or the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey. Rachel Hare Bork joins the show to discuss how this landmark pilot effort came together, why it took extensive travel and collaboration to make it happen, and what the results reveal about the public health workforce across the islands.
Guest: Rachel Hare Bork PhD
Dec. 10, 2025
1040: Michigan’s Chief Medical Executive Discusses the Stakes of ACIP’s Vote on Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns
In this episode, ASTHO member and Michigan Department of Health & Human Services Chief Medical Executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian breaks down a major development in national vaccine policy: the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP’s) decision to narrow its guidance on the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns.
Guest: Natasha Bagdasarian, MD, MPH
Dec. 1, 2025
1034: Public Health at a Crossroads: Trust, Storytelling, and the Future of the Field
ASTHO's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Susan Kansagra, joins us for a candid conversation about the state of public health today. She reflects on her unexpected path into the field, the urgent need to rebuild public trust, and why communicating the everyday value of public health is more critical than ever. Dr. Kansagra also explores how social media, new messengers, and emerging tools like AI can help reshape engagement, boost impact, and energize a workforce facing growing pressure. A motivating reminder that public health is a marathon, not a sprint, and that meaningful progress takes time, partnership, and persistence.
Guest: Susan Kansagra, MD, MBA
426
Oct. 29, 2025
1021: Measles Prevention, Academic Health Partnership Benefits
Jeffrey Eason, director of the Office of Communicable Diseases at the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, explains how his department is working to prevent transmission of measles during the state's largest outbreak in 30 years; Dr. C. William Keck, former director of the Akron City Health Department and professor emeritus of community health sciences and family medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University, shares
Guests: Jeffrey Eason MPH , C. William Keck MD MPH
425
Oct. 28, 2025
1020: Vaccine Confidence Strategy, HEP FREE 2030
Dr. Novneet Sahu, deputy commissioner for public health at the New Jersey Department of Health, discusses his state’s multi-pronged strategy to improve vaccine access and address vaccine confidence in response to a national rise in pediatric flu deaths; Thaddeus Pham, viral hepatitis prevention coordinator at the Hawaii Department of Health, explains...
Guests: Novneet Sahu MD MPA , Thaddeus Pham MPH
375
Aug. 15, 2025
970: Respiratory Virus Season Briefing, CICT Course
Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president and state health Officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health, Dr. Ayanna Bennett, director of the District of Columbia Department of Health, and Dr. Manisha Juthani, ASTHO president-elect and commissioner for the Connecticut Department of Public Health, held a deskside briefing on the preparations for the upcoming respiratory virus season; Ericka McGowan, senior director of emerging infectious disease at ASTHO...
370
Aug. 8, 2025
965: Leadership in Emergencies, PFAS Activity
Sam Jarvis, community health division manager at Johnson County Public Health in Iowa, explains how his DELPH experience helps him prepare others to be leaders in emergencies; applications for ASTHO’s DELPH program are now open; Heather Tomlinson, ASTHO senior analyst for environmental health, updates us
Guests: Heather Tomlinson MPH , Sam Jarvis MS
367
Aug. 1, 2025
960: Animal Disaster Plans, View From Washington
Kathy Jorgensen, board member for the National Alliance of State Animal and Agricultural Emergency Programs, explains why it’s essential to account for animals in all emergency planning; Jeffrey Ekoma, senior director of government affairs at ASTHO, discusses HHS nominations, rescissions, and more...
364
July 29, 2025
957: Your Local Epidemiologist, Behavioral Health Commission
Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, epidemiologist and CEO of Your Local Epidemiologist, shares how her public health newsletter helps to educate readers about the policies and science impacting public health today; Tracy Gruber, executive director of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services...
Guests: Katelyn Jetelina, PhD, MPH , Tracy Gruber JD
332
June 11, 2025
925: KFF Tracking Poll, Youth Vaccines
Liz Hamel, vice president and director of public opinion and survey research at KFF, discusses the latest KFF Tracking Poll on Information and Trust; Tina Tan, state epidemiologist at the New Jersey Department of Health, tells us about the Protect Me With 3+ program...
Guests: Tina Tan MD MPH , Liz Hamel
329
June 5, 2025
921: Anonymous Naloxone Kits; Performance Management Help
Melissa Magstadt, secretary of health for South Dakota and an ASTHO member, explains the state’s first-in-the-nation anonymous naloxone kit distribution program; Colton Anderson, ASTHO senior analyst for public health systems and improvement, tells us about ASTHO’s Quality Advisory Group...
462
Feb. 28, 2025
853: Insight Net Improves Analytics in Outbreak Forecasting, Comms Toolkit to Build Trust
Dr. Dylan George, director of the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics at the CDC, tells us about Insight Net which aims to improve analytics in outbreak forecasting; Mark Miller, vice president of communications at the de Beaumont Foundation,...
Guests: Dylan George PhD MS , Mark Miller
391
Oct. 31, 2024
782: Maternal Mortality Crisis Gets National Attention, Zink Still Educating
Laura Ungar, science and medical writer on the Global Health and Science Team for the Associated Press, discusses the two articles she wrote about the maternal mortality crisis; Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO past president and Alaska’s former chief medical...
Guests: Anne Zink, MD, FACEP , Laura Ungar
386
Oct. 24, 2024
777: Harris Embraces ASTHO Presidency, Boom-Bust Public Health Funding
Dr. Scott Harris, state health officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health and now ASTHO president, previews the upcoming year in his new role; Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez, correspondent for KFF Health News, discusses her article about public...
Guests: Scott Harris, MD, MPH , Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
156
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...
155
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...
154
Nov. 13, 2023
543: Rural Health Equity, Covey’s Advice for Building Trust
Dr. Somava Saha, President and CEO of Well-being and Equity in the World, discusses the importance of National Rural Health Day; Stephen Covey, a well-known author, had a message for ASTHO when he joined members at a meeting in Washington D.C. in late...
11
April 17, 2023
400: Four Trust Strategies, Modernizing STI Approaches
On the 400th episode of Public Health Review Morning Edition, Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, Senior Associate Dean at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health, identifies four strategies to restore trust in public health; Dr. Leandro...
Guests: LaQuandra Nesbitt MD MPH , Leandro Mena MD MPH
54
May 5, 2022
172: How to Rebuild Public Trust
Dr. Ed Ehlinger, Minnesota’s former health commissioner, reacts to the Harvard poll that says most people trust their public health department; Dr. Scott Harris, Alabama’s state health officer, explains a new ASTHO report that outlines eight ways...
Guests: Edward Ehlinger MD MSPH , Scott Harris, MD, MPH