Episodes

109: Reflections on Black History Month
Feb. 1, 2022

109: Reflections on Black History Month

Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, reflects on current events in the context of Black History Month, on the first day of the month-long recognition; Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO’s President-elect, considers the...
Guests: Anne Zink MD FACEP , Ngozi Ezike MD
108: Tackling E-Cigarettes and Flavored Tobacco Products
Jan. 31, 2022

108: Tackling E-Cigarettes and Flavored Tobacco Products

Jan Malcolm, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health, outlines policy steps available to limit youth access to E-cigarettes and flavored tobacco products; ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser reflects on the start of Black History Month; ASTHO shares a...
Guests: Michael Fraser PhD MS CAE FCPP , Jan Malcolm
107: Immunization Opportunities
Jan. 28, 2022

107: Immunization Opportunities

Rachael Banks, Oregon’s Director of Public Health, says the focus on immunizations during the pandemic is a perfect opportunity to expand the public health conversation. Immunizations are one of ASTHO’s top 10 policy issues to watch in 2022;...
Guests: Rachael Banks MPA , Yaryna Onufrey MPH
106: Contact Tracing’s Role Today
Jan. 27, 2022

106: Contact Tracing’s Role Today

ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia explains the latest thinking about how best to use case investigation and contact tracing to fight the Omicron variant; ASTHO joins several other national public health groups to issue a statement this...
Guests: Marcus Plescia MD MPH , Anne Zink MD FACEP
105: Rural Health Needs
Jan. 26, 2022

105: Rural Health Needs

ASTHO and associations representing epidemiologists, counties, cities, and public health labs issue a statement supporting jurisdictions moving away from universal case investigation and contact tracing at this point in the pandemic; Dr. Ayne Amjad,...
Guests: Devon Page , Ayne Amjad MD MPH
104: Advancing Health Equity
Jan. 25, 2022

104: Advancing Health Equity

Paula Tran, Wisconsin’s State Health Officer, says it’s possible to maintain health equity priorities even as the pandemic continues to strain resources. Health equity is among the issues considered in a set of 10 ASTHO policy briefings focused on...
Guests: Anne Zink MD FACEP , Paula Tran MPH
103: Ending the HIV Epidemic
Jan. 24, 2022

103: Ending the HIV Epidemic

Dr. Joseph Kanter, Louisiana’s State Health Officer, talks about fighting the HIV epidemic during the COVID-19 pandemic as ASTHO releases a set of 10 policy briefings focused on public health issues expected to be priorities this year; ASTHO offers...
Guests: Joseph Kanter MD MPH , John Wiesman DrPH MPH
102: Recalling COVID-19’s First Case Part 2
Jan. 21, 2022

102: Recalling COVID-19’s First Case Part 2

Dr. John Wiesman, the former Secretary of Health in Washington state, gives his assessment of the nation's pandemic response since the first COVID-19 case was discovered in his state two years ago this week. He discusses what has worked, what remains...
Guests: John Wiesman DrPH MPH , Katey Redmond MPH CPH
101: Recalling COVID-19's First Case Part 1
Jan. 20, 2022

101: Recalling COVID-19's First Case Part 1

Dr. John Wiesman, the former Secretary of Health in Washington state, reflects on the moment the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in his state and thus the U.S.; Dr. Alexis Travis, Michigan’s State Health Officer, says it’s never too late to...
Guests: Alexis Travis PhD , John Wiesman DrPH MPH
100: Rethinking School Discipline Part 2
Jan. 19, 2022

100: Rethinking School Discipline Part 2

Robin Matthies, Director of Public and Behavioral Health Integration at ASTHO, explains why it’s important to consider restorative justice approaches to discipline in schools; Andy Baker-White, ASTHO’s Senior Director of State Health Policy, says...
Guests: Andy Baker-White JD MPH , Robin Matthies MSW
99: Rethinking School Discipline Part 1
Jan. 18, 2022

99: Rethinking School Discipline Part 1

Maggie Davis, ASTHO’s Director of State Health Policy, provides an overview of a new ASTHO report about restorative justice in schools; Annie Evans, a senior analyst of disability integration and preparedness at ASTHO, marks the first anniversary of...
Guests: Maggie Davis JD MA , Annie Evans MPH
98: MLK and Health Equity
Jan. 14, 2022

98: MLK and Health Equity

ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser considers Dr. Martin Luther King’s influence on public health and his impact on the organization’s approach to equity; Dr. Alexis Travis, Michigan’s State Health Officer, tells us how the civil rights icon has influenced...
Guests: Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge MD MPH , Michael Fraser PhD MS CAE FCPP , Alexis Travis PhD , John Wiesman DrPH MPH
97: Announcing ASTHO’s 2022 Federal Policy Agenda
Jan. 13, 2022

97: Announcing ASTHO’s 2022 Federal Policy Agenda

Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, outlines the organization’s 2022 federal policy agenda and tells members what they ought to expect from Washington this year; ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser says...
Guests: Carolyn Mullen , Michael Fraser PhD MS CAE FCPP
96: COVID-19 Messaging Lessons
Jan. 12, 2022

96: COVID-19 Messaging Lessons

Robert Jennings, Executive Director of the National Public Health Information Coalition, discusses communications lessons learned during the pandemic; ProPublica journalist Caroline Chen hopes Congress reads her story about the funding public health...
Guests: Caroline Chen , Robert Jennings
95: ProPublica’s Syphilis Investigation – Part 2
Jan. 11, 2022

95: ProPublica’s Syphilis Investigation – Part 2

Dr. Joseph Kanter, Louisiana’s State Health Officer, explains the evolution of messaging required by the fast-moving Omicron variant during an appearance on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal morning show Monday; ProPublica journalist Caroline Chen...
Guests: Joseph Kanter MD MPH , Caroline Chen
94: ProPublica’s Syphilis Investigation – Part 1
Jan. 10, 2022

94: ProPublica’s Syphilis Investigation – Part 1

Caroline Chen, a journalist for the non-profit news organization ProPublica, reports on public health’s work to combat a rising number of syphilis cases in the nation; ASTHO offers a new blog article with ideas and guidance for public health...
Guest: Caroline Chen
93: Supreme Court Hears Vaccine Cases
Jan. 7, 2022

93: Supreme Court Hears Vaccine Cases

Lawrence Gostin, law professor at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington D.C., tells us what to expect from today’s Supreme Court hearing on two Biden Administration COVID vaccine mandates; ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser says states and...
Guests: Michael Fraser PhD MS CAE FCPP , Lawrence Gostin JD LLD
92: School Nurses Navigate Omicron’s Surge
Jan. 6, 2022

92: School Nurses Navigate Omicron’s Surge

Dr. Linda Mendonca, President of the National Association of School Nurses, explains how her members are coping with students’ return to classrooms amid the threat of the Omicron variant; Robert Jennings, Executive Director of the National Public...
Guests: Linda Mendonca DNP MEd PHNA-BC NCSN FNASN , Robert Jennings
91: Immunization Proposals Await Action
Jan. 5, 2022

91: Immunization Proposals Await Action

Andy Baker White, ASTHO’s Senior Director of State Health Policy, discusses immunization proposals scheduled for consideration in legislatures across the nation; Caroline Chen, a journalist writing for ProPublica, connects syphilis to the public...
Guests: Andy Baker-White JD MPH , Caroline Chen
90: Helping Kids Hurt by COVID
Jan. 4, 2022

90: Helping Kids Hurt by COVID

ASTHO President Dr. Nirav Shah outlines four priorities he says must be at the top of the public health agenda in 2022; John Bridgeland, Co-Founder and CEO of the COVID Collaborative, discusses recommendations for helping children who’ve lost a...
Guest: John Bridgeland JD
89: Fighting COVID-19 in the Pacific
Dec. 21, 2021

89: Fighting COVID-19 in the Pacific

Karl Ensign, ASTHO’s Vice President of Territorial Support, shares lessons learned fighting COVID-19 in the U.S. territories; Kelly Wroblewski, Director of Infectious Disease Programs at the Association of Public Health Laboratories, says labs are...
Guests: Karl Ensign , Kelly Wroblewski
88: Labs Prepared for Winter
Dec. 20, 2021

88: Labs Prepared for Winter

ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser hopes the new year signals a shift in the pandemic; Kelly Wroblewski, Director of Infectious Diseases for the Association of Public Health Laboratories, says labs are ready for whatever the pandemic brings this winter; ASTHO...
Guest: Kelly Wroblewski
87: 2022 Public Health Policy Agenda
Dec. 17, 2021

87: 2022 Public Health Policy Agenda

ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia says even though everyone is tired of the pandemic, we can’t give up fighting the virus now; ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser, along with two other public health leaders, says the pandemic has been difficult but...
Guests: Marcus Plescia MD MPH , Maggie Davis JD MA
86: Power Outage Preparedness
Dec. 16, 2021

86: Power Outage Preparedness

Eric Cote, an expert in emergency power preparedness, tells us why it’s important to know who relies on electricity for their medical devices when power is lost in a community; Stephen Heck, an ASTHO Disability and Preparedness Specialist working in...
Guests: Steven Stack MD , Eric Cote