Contact Tracing Episodes

Sept. 16, 2025

991: PHIG Funding + Interoperable Systems

In today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, Dr. Edward Simmer, ASTHO member and the interim director of the South Carolina Department of Public Health, discusses how his department is using the Public Health Infrastructure Grant.

Guest: Edward Simmer MD MPH

Aug. 12, 2025

967: Healthcare-Associated Infection Response, Public Cannabis Education

Dr. James Lewis, health officer for the Snohomish County Health Department in Washington State, explains how data can help quicken healthcare-assosciated infection response; Lyla Hunt, deputy director of public health and education at the New York State Office of Cannabis Management, tells us...

Guests: James Lewis MD MPH , Lyla Hunt MPH

Feb. 27, 2025

852: Lassa Fever Response, Suicide Rates See Decline

Dr. Robert Kruse, state medical director and the division director of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services and an ASTHO Member, tells us about his state’s response to a confirmed case of Lassa fever; Clarie Miller, lead suicide...

Guests: Robert Kruse MD MPH FAAFP , Clarie Miller

June 27, 2022

207: How to Address Burnout

Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO President-Elect, reflects on the problem of burnout among health care providers; Amelia Poulin, Senior Analyst for Infectious Disease Outbreak Response and Recovery at ASTHO, discusses the importance of COVID-19 case investigators...

Guests: Anne Zink MD FACEP , Amelia Poulin MPH PMP CPH

Jan. 27, 2022

106: Contact Tracing’s Role Today

ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia explains the latest thinking about how best to use case investigation and contact tracing to fight the Omicron variant; ASTHO joins several other national public health groups to issue a statement this...

Guests: Marcus Plescia MD MPH , Anne Zink MD FACEP

Jan. 26, 2022

105: Rural Health Needs

ASTHO and associations representing epidemiologists, counties, cities, and public health labs issue a statement supporting jurisdictions moving away from universal case investigation and contact tracing at this point in the pandemic; Dr. Ayne Amjad,...

Guests: Devon Page , Ayne Amjad MD MPH

Nov. 15, 2021

67: Polling the Pandemic

The Rockefeller Foundation releases its 5th survey of Americans’ attitudes about the pandemic response; Dr. Nicole Alexander Scott, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, says every public health agency should update its Healthy People...

Guests: Carrie Schum , Nicole Alexander-Scott MD MPH