Episodes

ASTHO's Erin Laird, director of Emerging Infections, shares how wastewater monitoring complements traditional disease surveillance and can help identify threats like measles and avian influenza. She also highlights ASTHO's framework for addressing ethical considerations in wastewater surveillance.

The 2026 midterm elections could shape public health policy, funding, and federal-state partnerships for years to come. In this View from Washington, D.C., Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s vice president of Government Affairs, explores how election outcomes may influence congressional leadership, public health appropriations, and key policy priorities while offering guidance for health officials preparing to engage newly elected lawmakers.

Lisa Saul, chief medical officer of Women’s Health at UnitedHealth Group, discusses findings from the America’s Health Rankings “Health of Women and Children Report.” From improvements in preventive care and breastfeeding, to concerning trends in maternal outcomes, Saul shares why state and territorial health officials should take a life-course approach to women’s health and use data to identify the areas with the greatest impact.

ASTHO's Grace Lee, senior analyst for Infectious Disease Infrastructure and Policy, highlights a new resource designed to help people navigate the transition after incarceration and connect with essential medical care. The guide encourages conversations with providers and offers guidance on health coverage, local resources, and more.

ASTHO's Tim Rosselet, manager of Leadership Development Programs, highlights how the Power Hour PLUS series helps supervisors and managers strengthen leadership skills. He explains that navigating conflict, communicating expectations, and building trust help create stronger teams.

ASTHO's Catherine Jones discusses Congress’s first hearing devoted to menopause and the Advancing Menopause Care and Midlife Women’s Health Act. She outlines additional federal proposals focused on medical education, hormone research, workplace accommodations, and more.

Sarah Stoddard, an associate professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Michigan, details how evidence-based prevention strategies support young people, the importance of building trust through community coalitions, and how youth can help shape prevention programs.

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.

On today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, Francyne Wase-Jacklick, ASTHO member and secretary of Health and Human Services for the Republic of the Marshall Islands, discusses how the agency incorporated key performance indicators into its strategic plan to strengthen how public health leaders measure progress, use data, and make decisions.

ASTHO's Brian Lentes discusses how performance management systems can help health departments with strategic plans and what health officials can learn from peers and technology vendors at ASTHO’s upcoming solutions showcase.

State and territorial health officials are navigating significant uncertainty while working to protect and improve the health of their communities. In this episode, Dr. Joseph Kanter, CEO of ASTHO, reflects on the 2026 Fall Leadership Forum and the importance of bringing public health leaders together to share information, discuss common challenges, and learn from one another. He highlights conversations with CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz about emergency preparedness, public trust, public heal...

Christina Severin, director of Public Health Law at ASTHO, discusses emerging policy trends to address youth technology use, including executive orders and school support resources.

ASTHO's new President and Mississippi State Health Officer Daniel Edney shares how state and territorial health officials can address persistent health challenges and learn from one another. He highlights lessons learned in Mississippi: support for maternal and infant health and rural communities, and developing solutions driven by local needs.

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 Greg Papillon, senior director, Public Health Partnerships and Innovation, discusses AI policies and action plans across various jurisdictions and what they reveal about the current state of AI governance, workforce readiness, equity, and oversight.

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.

Santiago González-Irizarry and Larissa Pardo from DC Health discuss how PHIG funding and data modernization efforts helped the agency move from reactive, disconnected systems toward a coordinated data governance structure.

With midterm elections approaching, uncertainty is building around the next phase of the congressional calendar. In this View from Washington D.C., Jeffrey Ekoma, vice president of Government Affairs, talks about the latest developments in Washington and what they could mean for health policy and federal funding. He discusses the status of key Health and Human Services nominations, including leadership positions at HHS, ASPR, FDA, the Surgeon General’s office, and SAMHSA. Jeffrey also breaks dow...

Andrew Kress, CEO of HealthVerity, and ASTHO's Tabatha Offutt-Powell discuss how the Public Health Data Consortium aims to expand public health access to real-world data, exploring its potential to strengthen disease surveillance and health equity efforts while addressing privacy, governance, and implementation challenges.

Elysia Gonzales from Public Health - Seattle & King County discusses how her team developed a prioritization framework and adapted an ASTHO framework into a five-tier system. She highlights the importance of clearly defining problems, getting leadership buy-in, and leveraging existing tools.

Rachel Sheehan of Premier, Inc. explores how data-driven strategies, quality improvement initiatives, and stronger community partnerships can reduce maternal mortality, expand maternity care access, and improve health outcomes for mothers and families.

For National Child Health Day, Meghan Maroney of Voices for Healthy Kids, an American Heart Association initiative, highlights how nutrition during a child's first years of life can have lasting effects on their health and development. Maroney also spotlights the importance of parent and caregiver engagement in shaping policies and programs across states and territories.