Episodes

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 202…

On today's episode, ASTHO’s Alice Schenall, senior advisor, cross sector leadership and change management, and ASTHO's Alyssa Merski, a senior analyst for social and behavioral health, talk about the role of boundary-spanning leadership in strengthening Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) efforts.

What does it take to rebuild the foundation of public health in the United States, and why did it take 30 years to get here? Director of the Division of Jurisdictional Support, CDC's Public Health Infrastructure Center, Stacey Mattison Jenkins breaks down the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHI…

On today's episode, Carolyn Mullen, senior vice president for government affairs and public relations, reflects on the defining moments, leadership lessons, and policy battles that shaped her nine years at ASTHO and her tenure in public health advocacy.

On today's episode, ASTHO Vice President of Health Security, Meredith Allen, tells us about the ongoing monitoring response tied to an outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius. Later, Emily Lapayowker, assistant director of web content at ASTHO talks about Glo…

On today's episode, ASTHO'S Brianna Gorman discusses ASTHO’s new Workforce Employee Experience Implementation Tool. Later, LaShonda Freeman with the South Carolina Department of Public Health discusses South Carolina’s Supplemental Tuition Assistance Policy Program (STAP).

Today: Ben Lopman, professor at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, discusses the new Vaccine Impact Map. Later, Bryan Patenaude, associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, breaks down the financial realities of measles outbreaks and why even relatively …

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.

What happens when artificial intelligence, clinical care, and public health finally start working together? Umair Shah, chief medical officer at Jaan Health and the AI-powered care management platform, Phamily, discusses the future of proactive healthcare and the role AI can play in connecting pati…

From leadership shakeups at the federal level to one of the largest investments in rural health in decades, public health is navigating a moment of uncertainty and opportunity. In this episode, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Government Affairs, Catherine Murphy, unpacks the ripple effects of ongoing chan…

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this episode explores how Colorado is rethinking suicide prevention and shifting from crisis response to upstream intervention. Conlin Bass, health systems suicide prevention manager for the Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention, explains Colorado’s compreh…

What happens when public health stops treating patients in isolation and starts addressing the realities of their daily lives? In this episode, leaders from the Tennessee Department of Health share how they’re using PHIG funding to transform care at both the clinical and community levels. Sanjana S…

What happens when more than half of rural hospitals stop delivering babies? Senior Advisor for Public Health at MaineHealth, former state health official, and ASTHO Alumni Society Representative, Dora Anne Mills, tells us about the rapidly escalating rural maternity crisis and why it’s more than ju…

Mississippi is facing a stark reality: its infant mortality rate has climbed to the highest level in more than a decade, according to the latest 2025 Mississippi public health report card. ASTHO member and State Health Officer Daniel Edney explains what’s driving the crisis and what it will take to…

In a crowded funding environment, telling your story clearly isn’t extra work; it’s essential infrastructure. ASTHO Director of Infrastructure Communications Elise Moore explores a growing trend in grant funding: community impact statements, and why they’re becoming essential. At their core, these …

For U.S. territories and freely associated states in the Pacific, climate change is a daily reality. Today, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Environmental Health Shelbi Davis talks about how these island communities are navigating some of the most severe climate-related health risks in the world. From inte…

Much of the data public health leaders need already exists, but it just isn’t accessible as it could be. Today, we’ll hear about a new platform aiming to unlock the full potential of population health data. Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO past president and a senior fellow at the Yale School of Public Health,…

Rural communities face some of the most complex and often overlooked public health challenges. Today, Melanie Ramsey, deputy director of CDC’s Office of Rural Health, discusses how a new national effort is working to close those gaps. The Rural Health Academy is a growing initiative designed to str…

Cyberattacks aren’t just an IT problem; they’re a potential public health emergency. ASTHO Senior Analyst for Preparedness, Maggie Nilz, explains how cyber disruptions are reshaping the foundation of public health systems. She explains how increasingly interconnected digital infrastructure has made…

When overdose cases suddenly spike, every second counts. In this episode, Jessica Pough, director of overdose preparedness and response at ASTHO, talks about a new tool designed to help communities prepare before a crisis hits. The "Overdose Spike Preparedness Exercise: Tabletop in a Box” gives sta…

Strong leaders don’t just appear, they’re developed. In this episode, Joshua Allen, leadership training director for the South Carolina Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Organizational Development, talks about how targeted supervisor training and mentorship programs are reshaping workforce cu…

What does it take to build and sustain a strong public health workforce in uncertain times? In this episode Kirsten Aird, public health director for Oregon’s Multnomah County, explores how strategic investments are strengthening workforce capacity, stability, and community impact. Aird breaks down …

Public health data modernization isn’t a quick fix; it’s a multi-decade transformation. In this episode, ASTHO Senior Vice President for Population Health and Innovation, Jen Layden, talks about the real progress happening across the country and the persistent challenges that remain. Drawing from i…

How do public health officials detect emerging viruses before they spread widely across the U.S.? Heather Reese, genomic epidemiology and preparedness team lead at CDC, tells us about the Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance (TGS) program: a cutting-edge effort that turns international travel into a…