Vaccine Distribution Episodes
Aug. 19, 2026
1189: Making Vaccination Easier and More Routine
Kim Martin, director of Immunization at ASTHO, shares about a recent Health Policy Update discussing how states are building vaccine trust.
Guest: Kimberly Martin
Aug. 11, 2026
1184: Back-to-School Vaccines
In recognition of National Immunization Awareness Month, Michelle Fiscus, chief medical officer for the Association of Immunization Managers, shares about the current state of childhood immunization.
Guest: Michelle D. Fiscus, MD, FAAP
Aug. 10, 2026
1183: Five Years of Public Health: The Stories That Shaped Our Journey
In this episode, we celebrate five years of Public Health Review: Morning Edition and revisit some of the defining moments from the podcast's past years.
Jan. 8, 2026
1049: Vaccines and Screening: Need-to-Know for State Preparedness
In this episode, we continue our Legislative Prospectus Series, examining public health trends in policy going into 2026 with Meredith Allen, vice president for health security at ASTHO. She’ll discuss the critical role immunizations play in preventing the spread of disease and protecting communities nationwide.
Guest: Meredith Allen, DrPH, MS
389
Sept. 5, 2025
984: Childhood Vaccination Efforts; FY26 Public Health Funding
Dr. Arti Barnes, chief medical officer at the Illinois Department of Public Health, describes how her agency is working collaboratively with other state departments to enhance access to pediatric vaccinations; Jeffrey Ekoma, senior director of government affairs at ASTHO, discusses changes to the CDC, this month’s federal funding deadline...
Guests: Jeffrey Ekoma, MBA, MS , Arti Barnes, MD, MPH
343
June 27, 2025
936: Reducing Opioid Overdoses, FY26 Budget Breakdown
Kelly Dougherty, deputy commissioner at the Vermont Department of Health, shares how drug testing has helped reduce the state’s opioid overdose deaths; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s senior director for government affairs, breaks down this week’s View From Washington, D.C. report on public health news from Capitol Hill; Dr. Ralph Alvarado, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health, shares how he works with legislators to improve public health
331
June 9, 2025
923: New AIM Report, Communications Resources
Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, details AIM’s 2024 Annual Report as they celebrate 25 years in existence; Sara Bell, ASTHO senior analyst for public health systems and planning, tells us how a new ASTHO resource can help your team with internal communications...
Guests: Claire Hannan MPH , Sara Bell, MPH
383
Oct. 21, 2024
774: Elimination of Health Inequities, Partnering With Community Action Agencies
Dr. Sejal Hathi, Director of the Oregon Health Authority and an ASTHO Member, dives into her state’s strategic plan to eliminate health inequities by 2030; Shalini Nair, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Infectious Disease, wrote an article about ASTHO’s...
Guests: Shalini Nair MPH , Sejal Hathi MD MBA
315
July 15, 2024
706: State Policy Impacts Immunization Access, FDA Food Code Adoption
Maggie Davis, ASTHO director of State Health Policy, explains why some states had difficulty getting access to new immunization products; the newly announced implementation centers wouldn’t be possible without key partners; Dr. Manisha Juthani,...
Guests: Maggie Davis JD MA , Manisha Juthani, MD
294
June 12, 2024
684: Epidemiology Competencies Toolkit, Advancing Vaccine Equity
Sarah Auer, program analyst for the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, tells us about the Applied Epidemiology Competencies toolkit; Lillie Seels, director of Practice Transformation at the National Community Action Partnership, says...
293
June 11, 2024
683: RSV Season Preps Underway, Tips to Build PH Trust
Dr. Michelle Fiscus, chief medical officer at the Association of Immunization Managers, discusses numbers released in March that show the RSV immunization for infants is 90 percent effective; Dr. Tom Frieden, president and chief executive officer of...
267
May 6, 2024
658: Avian Flu Symposium Takeaways, Adolescent Immunization Toolkit
Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, elaborates on a blog he authored on takeaways from the recent Avian Flu Symposium; Katelyn Wells, chief research evaluation and development officer for the Association of Immunization Managers,...
Guests: Marcus Plescia, MD, MPH , Katelyn Wells PhD
256
April 19, 2024
647: A New Social Determinant, Measles Outbreak Response
Admiral Rachel Levine, assistant secretary for health at the United States Department of Health and Human Services, reflects on the policy factors that impact public health; Massimo Pacilli, deputy commissioner of the Disease Control Bureau with the...
175
Dec. 14, 2023
564: Flavored Tobacco Bans and Pricing Strategies, Respiratory Disease Guidance
Dr. Barbara Wallace, director of the Division of Chronic Disease Prevention at the New York State Department of Health, discusses various strategies to curb tobacco use; Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, worries that too many sick...
142
Oct. 25, 2023
531: RSV Vaccine Pitch, Virus Disparities
Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO Chief Medical Officer, wants public health to focus on medical providers as the primary way to promote the RSV vaccine; an ASTHO blog article explains why public health readiness during the respiratory virus season is key; an...
Guests: Marcus Plescia, MD, MPH , Kris Bryant MD
116
Sept. 18, 2023
505: Looking for New Vaccine Messaging, Fall Vaccine Strategy
Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO’s Chief Medical Officer, says health departments are working to create effective vaccine messaging for this fall; Maggie Davis, ASTHO's Director of State Health Policy, shares policies aimed at reducing barriers to...
Guests: Marcus Plescia, MD, MPH , Maggie Davis JD MA
107
Sept. 5, 2023
496: Vaccine Legislation Advice, Online Trust Tool
Heather Tomlinson, ASTHO’s Senior Analyst of Immunizations, outlines the impacts of proposed vaccine and immunization bills; Connie Moon Sehat, Researcher-at-Large for Hacks/Hackers, details a tool to help public health communicators address online...
Guests: Connie Moon Sehat PhD , Heather Tomlinson MPH
91
Aug. 11, 2023
480: RSV Messaging, Emergency Contraception
Hear from the experts who participated in an ASTHO online briefing on the coming RSV season; Sophia Durant, ASTHO’s Analyst of Family and Child Health, says access to emergency contraception is a health equity issue; and an ASTHO virtual session...
69
July 12, 2023
458: Indiana Invests in Local PH, Youth Mental Health Webinar
Pam Pontones, Deputy Health Commissioner of Local Public Health Services for the Indiana State Department of Health, shares Indiana’s plan to invest in local health departments to address community health needs; Ioana Ungureanu, ASTHO's Senior Analyst for...
Guests: Ioana Ungureanu MPH , Pam Pontones MA
107
Jan. 28, 2022
107: Immunization Opportunities
Rachael Banks, Oregon’s Director of Public Health, says the focus on immunizations during the pandemic is a perfect opportunity to expand the public health conversation. Immunizations are one of ASTHO’s top 10 policy issues to watch in 2022;...
Guests: Rachael Banks MPA , Yaryna Onufrey MPH
91
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
82
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
78
Dec. 6, 2021
78: Vaccine Mandate Prediction
ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia says influenza and COVID-19 have a lot in common, as National Influenza Vaccination Week kicks off today; Professor James Hodge Jr., at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University...
Guests: Marcus Plescia, MD, MPH , James G. Hodge JD
49
Oct. 19, 2021
49: Preparing for Flu Season
Dr. Denise Johnson, Acting Physician General at the Pennsylvania Department of Health, discusses the upcoming flu season; Avia Mason, ASTHO Vice President of Learning Strategy, outlines ASTHO’s annual fall board meeting agenda and a new "Insight and...