Workforce Development Episodes

Today: building and keeping a strong public health workforce through innovative tools and strategies. Brianna Gorman, a senior analyst for workforce at ASTHO, discusses ASTHO’s new Workforce Employee Experience Implementation Tool, an interactive resource built to help agencies address workforce ch…

How do you strengthen public health for the future? Start with better communication. Amanda Kwong, director of the Public Health Communications Collaborative at the de Beaumont Foundation, discusses why effective public healt...

What happens when public health stops treating patients in isolation and starts addressing the realities of their daily lives? In this episode, leaders from the Tennessee Department of Health share how they’re using PHIG funding to transform care at both the clinical and community levels. Sanjana S…

Strong leaders don’t just appear, they’re developed. In this episode, Joshua Allen, leadership training director for the South Carolina Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Organizational Development, talks about how targeted supervisor training and mentorship programs are reshaping workforce cu…

What does it take to build and sustain a strong public health workforce in uncertain times? In this episode Kirsten Aird, public health director for Oregon’s Multnomah County, explores how strategic investments are strengthening workforce capacity, stability, and community impact. Aird breaks down …

Public health data modernization isn’t a quick fix; it’s a multi-decade transformation. In this episode, ASTHO Senior Vice President for Population Health and Innovation, Jen Layden, talks about the real progress happening across the country and the persistent challenges that remain. Drawing from i…

What if public health recruitment started with a summer camp? In this PHIG impact report, Veronika Hanna and Mondi Mason from the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment share how creative workforce strategies powered by the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) are opening new pathw…

Public health nurses are on the front lines of community health, but many are facing stress, burnout, and limited opportunities for advancement. In this episode, Shirley Orr, executive director for the Association of Public Health Nurses, talks about the final session in the Public Health Nursing W…

What does it take to build a resilient public health system? Keshana Owens-Cody, director of the Office of Public Health Infrastructure at the New York State Department of Health, talks about incorporating core competencies i...

Public health agencies across the country face a growing workforce shortage—but Missouri is tackling the challenge head-on. On today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, we explore how Missouri internship programs are bui...

Public health is everywhere, but too often, people don’t see it. In this episode, we explore how the field can build a stronger future by investing in the next generation of professionals and improving how it communicates its...

Behind every public health response are two make-or-break factors: the people doing the work and the systems that help them work together. First, Shirley Orr, Executive Director of the Association of Public Health Nurses,, di...

What do school meals, housing, paid leave, and pre-K have to do with public health? According to Trust for America’s Health: everything. In this episode, Breanca Merritt, director of policy at Trust for America’s Health, breaks down a new report titled 'Promoting Health and Cost Control in States (…

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 Co…

What does it take for states to expand access to substance use disorder treatment and build stronger, more sustainable partnerships between Medicaid and public health?  In Massachusetts, leaders changed policies around provider models to increase access to care for opioid use disorder: Frances McGa…

What does the public health workforce need to stay engaged, supported, and committed, and how can leaders act on those insights? Heather Krasna, associate dean of career and professional development at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, joins us to break down new research on what …

What does it take to strengthen public health systems nationwide and why does flexible funding matter? In this PHIG Impact Report, we’re joined by SzePui Hughes, senior director of public health workforce and infrastructure at ASTHO to unpack the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) and ASTHO’…

Community health workers (CHWs) play a critical role in bridging the gap between health systems and the communities they serve, especially in rural and underserved areas. In this episode, ASTHO Senior Director of Population Health, Alex Kearly, explains who CHWs are, how they build trust and addres…

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 dis…

In this episode and as part of our PHIG Impact Report series, Amy Perkins of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services talks about how the state is rethinking public health infrastructure funding to make life easier for local and tribal health departments.

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 collaborati…

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 hepatiti…

On today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, we talk with Jenn Rico, data modernization and surveillance & informatics supervisor at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Jenn shares how Montana has used PHIG funding to accelerate statewide data modernization, and investe…

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 …