Episodes

Dec. 18, 2025

1045: Bringing Island Voices Into the Data: Inside the First PH WINS Territories Survey

For the first time, all eight U.S. territories and freely associated states have been included in PH-WINS, or the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey. Rachel Hare Bork joins the show to discuss how this landmark pilot effort came together, why it took extensive travel and collaborati…
Dec. 17, 2025

1044: The Jobs Public Health Needs Now: Rethinking Workforce for the Data Age

As health departments modernize their data systems, an unexpected challenge has emerged: traditional public health job classifications no longer match the reality of today’s data landscape. In this episode, Ari Whiteman, ASTHO’s senior advisor for public health data and informatics workforce, talks…
Dec. 16, 2025

1043: PHIG Funds Critical Services in New Hampshire

In today's PHIG Impact Report, Patricia Tilley, ASTHO member and associate commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, details the critical needs the Public Health Infrastructure Grant has helped address in her state.
Dec. 15, 2025

1042: Naloxone’s Impact: Inside New York’s Landmark Study on Lives Saved and Dollars Returned

New research out of New York shows that naloxone didn’t just save more than 6,500 lives in two years—it delivered one of the most dramatic returns on investment in public health. In this episode, Dr. James McDonald, ASTHO member and commissioner of the New York State Department of Health, breaks do…
Dec. 11, 2025

1041: Protecting Newborns: Guidance for the Hepatitis B Vaccine Matters Now More Than Ever

In this episode, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health and ASTHO member Dr. Debra Bogen joins us to break down a major change in national vaccine guidance, and why it has sparked concern among pediatric and public health leaders.
Dec. 10, 2025

1040: Michigan’s Chief Medical Executive Discusses the Stakes of ACIP’s Vote on Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns

In this episode, ASTHO member and Michigan Department of Health & Human Services Chief Medical Executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian breaks down a major development in national vaccine policy: the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP’s) decision to narrow its guidance on the hepatiti…
Dec. 9, 2025

1039: How Illinois and Google Are Transforming Children’s Behavioral Health

As part of our spotlight series on artificial intelligence in public health, today’s episode explores the BEACON Portal—a groundbreaking collaboration between Google and the state of Illinois designed to streamline access to behavioral health services for children and families. Dr. Dana Weiner, chi…
Dec. 8, 2025

1038: Kentucky’s Pertussis Surge: Preventable Tragedies and a Path Forward

Kentucky is experiencing its largest spike in whooping cough cases since 2012, an alarming rise that has already claimed the lives of three infants in the past year. In this episode, Dr. Steven Stack, secretary of Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services, joins us to unpack what’s driving …
Dec. 4, 2025

1037: Making the Case for Data Modernization: Stories, Strategy, and the Bottom Line

In this episode, ASTHO’s Director of Public Health Data Modernization and Informatics, Allen Rakotoniaina, breaks down how public health agencies can effectively make the case for investing in modern data systems.
Dec. 3, 2025

1036: What the 2025 Government Shutdown Revealed and What Comes Next

In this episode, ASTHO’s Catherine Jones, senior analyst for government affairs, breaks down the 2025 federal government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, and what made it uniquely disruptive compared to the 2018–2019 closure.
Dec. 2, 2025

1035: Building Sustainable Public Health Data Systems in Montana

On today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, we talk with Jenn Rico, data modernization and surveillance & informatics supervisor at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Jenn shares how Montana has used PHIG funding to accelerate statewide data modernization, and investe…
Guest: Jenn Rico MA
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 …
Nov. 26, 2025

1033: How Telehealth Is Expanding Access to Care and How North Dakota’s Academic Health Department Model is Growing Public Health Talent

In this episode: how telehealth has evolved from a pandemic-era necessity into a powerful tool for improving access to health care. ASTHO senior analyst Ashley Cram breaks down the different types of telehealth, from video visits and audio-only consultations to remote patient monitoring, and why ea…
Nov. 25, 2025

1032: Best of PHRME: CHW Funding Models, Public Health Job Applications

On today’s Best Of PHRME episode, Maria Courogen, executive director for the Center for Access to Whole Person Care at the Washington State Department of Health, explains how her state worked to enable the continued support of community health workers (CHWs) by developing a sustainable funding mode…
Nov. 24, 2025

1031: Public Health Wins: Reductions in RSV Hospitalizations and Overdose Rates Nationwide

On this Public Health Thank You Day, ASTHO’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Susan Kansagra, joins us to share encouraging news from the front lines of public health. Thanks to increased partnerships with birthing hospitals and the rollout of monoclonal antibodies for infants and the maternal RSV vaccin…
Nov. 19, 2025

1030: Rural Health in Focus: State Strategies for Transformation

In this episode, health leaders from Iowa, Maine and Mississippi share their strategies for revitalizing rural healthcare. We hear excerpts from an ASTHO media briefing featuring ASTHO members as they address the urgent challenges facing millions of rural Americans, including healthcare provider sh…
Nov. 18, 2025

1029: PHIG Impact Report: How Utah Builds a Modern Public Health Data System

In today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, Nicole Yerkes, data modernization director with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, shares how the state is using PHIG funding to advance a unified, future-ready public health data system. She discusses innovations like AI-assisted ana…
Nov. 17, 2025

1028: Leading Through Change: Adaptive Leadership in Public Health

Public health is at a crossroads. In this episode, Lillian Shirley and Itta Johnson from Public Consulting Group discuss how adaptive leadership can help rebuild trust, strengthen community partnerships, and drive meaningful change across systems. Drawing from real-world initiatives, they share pra…
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…
Nov. 10, 2025

1026: Best of PHRME: Public Health Data, Noise Exposure, and Community Resilience

On today’s Best Of PHRME episode, we revisit an interview with ASTHO's Jennifer Layden, senior vice president for population health and innovation, who discusses how states are advancing data modernization and building creative partnerships to strengthen public health.
Nov. 4, 2025

1025: From The Ground Up: PHIG In Action In Kansas

In today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, Jade Ramsdell, performance improvement director with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), shares how KDHE is using the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG)...
Nov. 3, 2025

1024: Best of PHRME: Rural Health Priorities, Nursing Workforce Focus

On today’s ‘Best Of PHRME’ episode, ASTHO revisits an interview with Dan Edney, ASTHO member and state health officer with the Mississippi Department of Health, who explains what the state is doing to meet the public health needs of rural communities across the state. This episode also features a s…
Oct. 31, 2025

1023: AWS Examines AI In Public Health

Jim Daniel, public health leader for state and local government at Amazon Web Services, examines AI usage in public health.
Oct. 30, 2025

1022: AI Assists Data Infrastructure, AmeriCorps Program Helps Rural Population Needs

Lisa Bari, vice president of policy and partnerships at Innovaccer, shares how public health departments can become better prepared to use AI by addressing their underlying data infrastructure; Angela Davis, project coordinator with the Montana Office of Rural Health and Area Health Education Cente…