ASTHO Members Episodes

July 10, 2025

944: State Activity on Food Dyes, PH collaboration

Kristen Rogers, a jounalist for CNN Wellness, explains why synthetic food dyes are being banned by states across the country and how each state is taking action; Felicia Quintana-Zinn, associate director of health data with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, discusses...
July 9, 2025

943: Mental Health + Overdose Prevention, Island Challenges

Dr. Allison Arwady, director at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC, details a recent webinar focused on mental health and overdose prevention; Beth Giambrone, ASTHO senior analyst for state health policy, explains..
July 1, 2025

938: Audience Favorite PHRME: Historic Strides For Overdose Prevention, SLF Advocacy Roundup

This special episode of Public Health Review Morning Edition revisits a popular episode from April 18, 2025. 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, A…
June 30, 2025

937: Audience Favorite PHRME: PHIG Showcases Public Health Success Stories

This special episode of Public Health Review Morning Edition revisits a popular episode from April 1, 2025. Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, gives examples from across the country of success stories that stem from the Public Health Infrastructure Grant in this 'PHIG Impact Report.' This work is …
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…
June 26, 2025

935: Federal Funding Cuts, Opioid Overdose Death Decline Strategies

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO; Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president; Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer; Dr. Lindsay Weaver of Indiana; Dr. James McDonald of New York; and Dr. Ralph Alvarado of Tennessee, share more from Tuesday’s deskside briefing on the Impact of Nutrition on Chronic Dis…
June 25, 2025

934: ASTHO Deskside Briefing, Congressional Public Health Priorities

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president, Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, Dr. Lindsay Weaver of Indiana, Dr. James McDonald of New York, and Dr. Ralph Alvarado of Tennessee, held a deskside briefing on the Impact of Nutrition on Chronic Disease Prevention; Ca…
June 23, 2025

932: ASTHO Board of Directors Meeting, Dialysis Education Program

Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president and state health officer with the Alabama Department of Public Health, discusses takeaways from the most recent ASTHO Board of Directors meeting; Alex Kurutz, dialysis epidemiologist for the Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Program at t…
June 13, 2025

927: Federal Health Data Survey, New ASTHO Member

Dr. Anna-Michelle McSorley, assistant professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut, details the findings of her recent study on quality of life indicators in three U.S. territories and explains the importance of data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveill…
June 12, 2025

926: Data to Reduce Heat Injuries, Public Health Rumors

Dr. James McDonald, ASTHO member and commissioner of the New York State Department of Health, discusses the State’s Heat Risk and Illness Dashboard and how it can reduce heat-related injury; Dr. Tara Kirk Sell, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security...
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...
June 4, 2025

920: Mobile Lab Experience, Kansagra + TFAH Brief Media

Elizabeth Gunsalus, K-12 education and outreach project manager at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, explains how the department’s Mobile Lab Experience has been beneficial; Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, spoke at a recent Trust for America’s Health media briefing...
May 30, 2025

917: World No Tobacco Day, One Big Beautiful Bill Act

Brian King, executive vice president for U.S. programs at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, explains how state and local programs are the lifeblood of tobacco prevention; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO's senior director for government affairs, updates us...
May 19, 2025

909: Measles & Avian Flu Outlook, Older Americans Month

Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, provides updates on measles and the avian flu; Dr. Ralph Alvarado, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health and an ASTHO member...
May 16, 2025

908: Measles Outbreak Simulator, HHS Secretary Testifies

Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and an ASTHO member, tells us why his department wanted to create a dashboard focused on measles; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director of government affairs...
May 9, 2025

903: New Lab Speeds Newborn Screening, Capitol Hill Efforts

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...
May 8, 2025

902: Data Dashboards, Design Your Own Accreditation

Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive for the State of Michigan, explains the state’s Public Health Data Dashboard, which visualizes public health trends by district and helps to shape awareness of public health’s role in the community;...
May 7, 2025

901: Opioid Engagement, Radiological Readiness

Dr. Alex Walley, professor of medicine at the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, addresses the opioid overdose crisis and community engagement, topics at the Rhode Island’s Community Overdose Engagement (CODE) Summit; Sean...
May 6, 2025

900: How ASTHO Provides Value, Crisis Comms Webinar

Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for government affairs, explains how he came to ASTHO and how his team provides value for members in today's "Get to Know ASTHO" segment; K. "Vish" Viswanath, professor of health communication at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public...
May 2, 2025

898: Community Crisis Centers, Congress Back In Session

Kelly Crosbie, director of the North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services, tells us about the community crisis center initiative in her state; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO's senior vice president of...
May 1, 2025

897: Baston Steps Down, AI for Vaccine Misbelief Correction

Dr. Kaitlan Baston, ASTHO alum and the former New Jersey commissioner of health, reflects on her time in the role as she steps down; Dr. Hang Lu, assistant professor in the department of communication and media at the University of Michigan, discusses an...
April 29, 2025

895: Opioid Efforts, Long COVID Programming

Dr. Kaitlan Baston, former commissioner of health for the New Jersey Department of Health and ASTHO alumni, outlines what New Jersey has been doing to address opioids; Kate Murray, program supervisor for Long COVID and post-COVID conditions at the...
April 25, 2025

893: Youth Behavioral Health, CHWs in Island Areas

Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and an ASTHO member, explains how his state is taking action for youth behavioral health; Aurora GrantWingate, member and partner engagement manager at the National Association of...
April 24, 2025

892: PH Social Media Tool, Timely STI Testing

Adrienne Ammerman, founder and CEO of Arclet, explains how her platform will help health communicators; Amelia Poulin, ASTHO assistant director of emerging infectious disease, breaks down a blog article on what states are doing to combat syphilis and...