Healthy Aging Episodes

1034: Public Health at a Crossroads: Trust, Storytelling, and the Future of the Field
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 …
1027: RSV Season Update: Data Gaps, Trends, and Immunization Efforts
Nov. 12, 2025

1027: RSV Season Update: Data Gaps, Trends, and Immunization Efforts

Dr. Susan Kansagra, chief medical officer at ASTHO, shares an update on rising RSV activity and how states are tracking trends during the federal shutdown. She highlights new tools that protect infants, including maternal vaccines and monoclonal antibodies, and explains how public health and birthi…
1017: Juthani Takes Over ASTHO Presidency, Public Health’s Way Forward
Oct. 23, 2025

1017: Juthani Takes Over ASTHO Presidency, Public Health’s Way Forward

Dr. Manisha Juthani, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, joins the show for the first time as ASTHO’s president to discuss her plans for the new term; Dr. Karen Hacker, health policy fellow at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, co-authored an article...
1002: Upgraded Contract Tracking, Supporting Brain Health
Oct. 1, 2025

1002: Upgraded Contract Tracking, Supporting Brain Health

Alfredo Ramirez, director of the Operation Analysis Office at the Tennessee Department of Health, explains how his department expanded its contract tracking system to enhance efficiency and manage grants across their life cycle; Kellie Waugh, analyst for health improvement and healthy aging at ASTH…
995: CDC Funding Impact Report, Falls Prevention, EVD
Sept. 22, 2025

995: CDC Funding Impact Report, Falls Prevention, EVD

Dr. Joseph Kanter, CEO of ASTHO, joined Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, president and CEO of Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), Rhea Farberman, director of strategic communications and policy at TFAH, and Lori Freeman, CEO of NACCHO, during a recent briefing about TFAH’s report that details the impact of CDC…
994: Healthy Aging Tactics, PH Funding on the Hill
Sept. 19, 2025

994: Healthy Aging Tactics, PH Funding on the Hill

JW Randolph, deputy commissioner at the Tennessee Department of Health, shares how his state’s new Office for Healthy Aging has been successful in coordinating statewide efforts to care for Tennessee’s aging communities; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s senior director for government affairs, provides an upd…
986: Infant Mortality Programs, CHW Alzheimer’s Course
Sept. 9, 2025

986: Infant Mortality Programs, CHW Alzheimer’s Course

Dr. Lindsay Weaver, ASTHO member and state health commissioner of Indiana, discusses the public health programs that Indiana employed to achieve its lowest infant mortality rate in more than a century; Corinne Gillenwater, chronic disease and health improvement analyst at ASTHO...
963: Technical Assistance for Agencies, Administrative Preparedness
Aug. 6, 2025

963: Technical Assistance for Agencies, Administrative Preparedness

Erin Penniston, chief of staff of public health services at the Maryland Department of Health, describes how ASTHO’s Peer Assessment Program helped her state’s health department strengthen its administrative infrastructure; Kelsey Tillema, senior analyst at ASTHO, shares...
943: Mental Health + Overdose Prevention, Island Challenges
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..
926: Data to Reduce Heat Injuries, Public Health Rumors
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...
915: Healthy Aging, New Federal Health Policy Update
May 28, 2025

915: Healthy Aging, New Federal Health Policy Update

Danny Staley, ASTHO senior vice president for public health programs and practice, details the recent Healthy Brain Initiative Summit where he presented a keynote presentation; Catherine Murphy, ASTHO government affairs analyst, explains...
912: AAFP on Patient Mental Health, Disease Intervention Specialists
May 22, 2025

912: AAFP on Patient Mental Health, Disease Intervention Specialists

Dr. Sarah Nosal, president-elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians, discusses the importance of family physicians in regard to mental health; Amelia Poulin, ASTHO assistant director of emerging infectious disease...
909: Measles & Avian Flu Outlook, Older Americans Month
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...
840: Our Healthy Kentucky Home, Dementia Set To Double
Feb. 10, 2025

840: Our Healthy Kentucky Home, Dementia Set To Double

Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO immediate past president and commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, tells us more about the Our Healthy Kentucky Home initiative; Dr. Josef Coresh, director of the Optimal Aging Institute at the NYU Grossman...
816: New Office of Healthy Aging, Vape Devices with Video Games
Jan. 6, 2025

816: New Office of Healthy Aging, Vape Devices with Video Games

Dr. Ralph Alvarado, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health and an ASTHO member, tells us why his team decided to create an Office of Healthy Aging; Dr. Jennifer Unger, a professor of Population and Public Health Sciences at the University...
799: Climate Change & Health Equity Partners, ASTHO's Alzheimer's Work
Nov. 26, 2024

799: Climate Change & Health Equity Partners, ASTHO's Alzheimer's Work

Linda Helland, manager of the Climate Change and Health Equity Branch in the Office of Health Equity at the California Department of Public Health, tells us how the California Department of Public Health is working to incorporate health equity into...
797: Health Equity Institute Launch, Community Design Supports Healthy Aging
Nov. 22, 2024

797: Health Equity Institute Launch, Community Design Supports Healthy Aging

Dr. Awele Maduka-Ezeh, medical director for the Delaware Division of Public Health, details the launch of the Health Equity Institute of Delaware; Ken Rose, branch chief for the Physical Activity and Health Program in the Division of Nutrition,...
675: Latest Tobacco Concerns, Overdose Data Brings Mixed Results
May 30, 2024

675: Latest Tobacco Concerns, Overdose Data Brings Mixed Results

John Bowman, executive vice president for U.S. Tobacco Programs at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, sounds the alarm about the tobacco industry’s relentless drive to encourage young people to use their products; Kayley Humm, ASTHO senior analyst...
668: NJ Contraception Case Study, Federal Discussions on Aging
May 20, 2024

668: NJ Contraception Case Study, Federal Discussions on Aging

Liz Gipson, senior program officer at the Center for Health Care Strategies, discusses a case study about New Jersey contraception legislation that ASTHO partnered on; Catherine Jones, ASTHO senior analyst for Government Affairs, says the federal...
534: Alliance to Solve Substance Use, Advice to Prevent Falls
Oct. 30, 2023

534: Alliance to Solve Substance Use, Advice to Prevent Falls

Dr. Cathy Slemp, Former State Health Officer for the WV Department of Health and Human Resources and now Co-Chair of the West Virginia Hope in Action Alliance, says the alliance is a group that builds collaborations focused on substance use concerns...
529: New Falls Prevention Guide, Vaccine Uptake Strategies
Oct. 23, 2023

529: New Falls Prevention Guide, Vaccine Uptake Strategies

Priya Shah, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Health Improvement, discusses a new guide to falls prevention that outlines strategies and best practices; Dr. Philip Chan, Infectious Disease Consultant at the Rhode Island Department of Health, credits Rhode...
527: Disaster Exercise Toolkit, Healthy Brain Resources
Oct. 19, 2023

527: Disaster Exercise Toolkit, Healthy Brain Resources

Jennifer Lynch, Emergency Management Specialist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, says the frequency and intensity of natural disasters is changing the way planners think about emergency response; Nathan Wormington, Emergency Program...
519: Framing Mental Health Connections, New Shutdown Deadline
Oct. 6, 2023

519: Framing Mental Health Connections, New Shutdown Deadline

Mary Giliberti, chief public policy officer at Mental Health America, explains a new framework that connects public health with mental health and suicide prevention; Latoya Sahadeo, director of the Diverse Executives Leading in Public Health program...
514: Telehealth Offers Options, Weekend Shutdown Looms
Sept. 29, 2023

514: Telehealth Offers Options, Weekend Shutdown Looms

Kyle Zebley, Senior Vice President of the American Telemedicine Association, explains the benefits of telehealth; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, explains what ASTHO members should know about the...