Public Health Communication Episodes

Daniel Edney, ASTHO's new president and Mississippi's state health officer, discusses topics that health officials raised during ASTHO’s recent Fall Leadership Forum. From flexible funding to measles and vaccine misinformation, he explores how states are diversifying resources and communicating with their communities.

Angela Cochran, division director of Health Promotion and Community Services at St. Mary’s County Health Department, explains why skills such as empathy, communication, and intellectual humility are essential to effective leadership. She also reflects on her time in the Developing Executive Leaders in Public Health (DELPH) program and shares how the experience helps public health leaders build psychological safety, anchor decisions in organizational values, and strengthen collaboration.

Manisha Juthani, outgoing ASTHO president and commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, reflects on her time as ASTHO president and the importance of communicating across political divides and helping state and territorial health officials learn from one another.

ASTHO's Lana McKinney outlines how states are taking a broader approach to healthy aging, with renewed focus on prevention, dementia awareness, and related legislation, including caregiver support, public education efforts, and dementia-capable training.

Shebra Hall, chief of the Bureau of Chronic Disease for the Delaware Division of Public Health and a 2026 DELPH graduate, highlights how a cardiovascular health learning collaborative helps partners share resources, strengthen communication, and address health from clinical and community perspectives.

Cameron Webb, ASTHO member and commissioner of the Virginia Department of Health, highlights the agency's approach to building trust, strengthening the public health workforce, and implementing a new electronic health record system.

Paul Cantey of CDC and U.S. Public Health Service discusses the current status of New World Screwworm in the United States and explains how federal, state, territorial, and local agencies are coordinating their response, early recognition and treatment, and what public health professionals should know.

Jessica Malaty Rivera from The Public Good Projects discusses the questions and concerns emerging around the new mRNA flu vaccine and why communicators should focus on providing clear information to encourage questions while keeping evidence-based information front and center.

On today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, Raynard Washington, ASTHO member and commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health, discusses how PHIG funding supports local health departments, strengthens the state’s public health workforce, and enhances communications infrastructure.

In this PHIG Impact Report, Christina Floyd, deputy public health director for the Detroit Health Department, discusses how the city has used PHIG funding to strengthen their community and workforce.

Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive for the State of Michigan and ASTHO member, highlights Michigan's Cyclospora outbreak and reflects on what can be learned from the state's response.

Oregon Health Authority's Gabriela Goldfarb and the Minnesota Department of Health's Kathy Koehler Raleigh discuss the health risks of wildfire smoke and extreme heat, along with practical advice on protecting communities from these events.

Sarah Shaw, senior informatics analyst at the Public Health Informatics Institute, discusses a new Data Modernization Communications Toolkit designed to help public health professionals explain complex initiatives in ways that resonate with colleagues, leaders, and communities.

On today's PHIG Impact Report, Tatiana Lin and Shelby Rowell from the Kansas Health Institute highlight how health departments are using AI to improve efficiency and expand workforce capacity.

On today's episode, ASTHO member Ayanna Bennett discusses the Potomac River sewage spill, the public health risks it created, and the coordination required between local, state, and federal agencies to protect residents. Later, ASTHO’s Jen Layden explains why partnerships are central to ASTHO’s 2026–2029 strategic plan.

On today's episode, the de Beaumont Foundation's Amanda Kwong discusses why effective public health communications go far beyond public awareness campaigns. Later, ASTHO's Ashley Nanthavongsa-Mosley highlights innovative efforts to introduce public health education into K-12 schools.

In this episode, Joshua Allen from the South Carolina Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Organizational Development discusses how targeted supervisor training and mentorship programs are reshaping workforce culture in public health.

On today's episode, Jessica Wieder, president of Teal Skies Consulting and former leader in external affairs at FEMA and EPA, shares her career journey, covering two decades in radiological preparedness and risk communication.

On today's episode, Heather Drummond from the Washington State Department of Health discusses the realities and urgent gaps in Long COVID care.

On today's episode, ASTHO's Kimberlee Wyche Etheridge highlights why workforce pathway programs, mentorship, and hands-on partnerships between universities and health departments are critical. Then, Brian Castrucci, president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, discusses his recent article, focused on ways the public health field can communicate its impact.

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 Composure,' on February 11, and digs into the real-world skills behind steady leadership in volatile times. From pandemic burnout to nonstop crises, today’s public health leaders are navigating faster information cycles, rising mistrust, misinformation, and exhausted teams. So how do you keep people focused, grounded, and moving forward? We’ll also hear from Dr. Manisha Juthani, ASTHO president and Connecticut commissioner of public health, who is co-hosting the webinar.

Wildfire smoke is no longer a rare emergency; it’s a predictable, climate-driven public health threat. In this episode, Gabriela Goldfarb, environmental public health section manager for the Oregon Health Authority's Public Health Division, tells us why health agencies must begin outreach and coordination long before wildfire season starts. Goldfarb walks through Oregon’s collaborative wildfire smoke response protocol, explaining how state, federal, tribal, and local partners translate complex data into timely public health advisories.

Fatal overdoses are rising among adults 45 and older and stigma often keeps this age group out of the conversation. In this episode, Dr. Philip Chan, consultant medical director at the Rhode Island Department of Health and a practicing primary care physician, discusses Rhode Island’s 'No Matter Why You Use' campaign.

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 younger public health workers value most at work.  She explains why flexible schedules, remote or hybrid options, professional development, student loan repayment, and family-friendly benefits are increasingly important for retention, and how agencies can think creatively when salary increases aren’t always possible. Then, Omar Khalid, director of workforce at ASTHO, walks through key findings from the 2024 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS), the only nationally representative survey of the governmental public health workforce.