Season 1
118: Selling Vaccines to Younger Adults
Feb. 14, 2022
Julie Scofield, Project Director for the Community COVID Coalition, a project of the CDC Foundation, reports on the results of a months-long social media campaign to convince younger adults to get the COVID-19 vaccine; and D…
117: ASTHO’s New Strategic Plan
Feb. 11, 2022
Zarnaaz Bashir, ASTHO’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, says the organization’s new strategic plan was created during and influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic; Dr. Robert Bourgeois, an occupational and environmental health ex…
116: Data Modernization Report Card
Feb. 10, 2022
Dr. David Adinaro, New Jersey’s Deputy Commissioner for Public Health, evaluates the state of the nation’s public health data and information infrastructure; Dr. Joseph Gaugler, Director of the BOLD Public Health Center of E…
115: Cleaning Up Toxic Compounds
Feb. 9, 2022
Alan Roberson, Executive Director of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators, explains the growing interest in the risks of PFAS chemicals and the challenges some jurisdictions encounter when they want to do s…
114: How Federal Agencies Can Work Together
Feb. 8, 2022
Dr. Josh Sharfstein, a former public health official in Maryland and principal deputy commissioner at the FDA from 2009 until 2011, says continued public confusion over testing, booster doses, and medications could be improv…
113: PH Workforce Recovery
Feb. 7, 2022
Joanne Pearsol, ASTHO’s Director of Workforce Development, explains how states and territories are working to help a weary public health workforce survive the pandemic; and we share details about the 11th annual African Amer…
112: Messaging COVID Vaccines to New Parents
Feb. 4, 2022
Dr. Jose Romero, a pediatrician and Arkansas’ Secretary of Health, says there’s work to be done to prepare for the possibility of a vaccine for infants and toddlers; Dr. Josh Sharfstein, a pediatrician and former health offi…
111: How to Modernize PH Data
Feb. 3, 2022
Joanne Pearsol, ASTHO’s Director of Workforce Development, says more than 40,000 public health professionals responded to the latest PHWins survey; Dr. Jamie Pina, ASTHO’s Vice President of Public Health Data Modernization, …
110: Healthy Home Improvements
Feb. 2, 2022
Kristin Ahrens, Deputy Secretary of Pennsylvania’s Office of Developmental Programs, says the pandemic crisis ultimately will make services for people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities stronger; ASTHO’s…
109: Reflections on Black History Month
Feb. 1, 2022
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,…
108: Tackling E-Cigarettes and Flavored Tobacco Products
Jan. 31, 2022
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 Histo…
107: Immunization Opportunities
Jan. 28, 2022
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 …
106: Contact Tracing’s Role Today
Jan. 27, 2022
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 t…
105: Rural Health Needs
Jan. 26, 2022
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 …
104: Advancing Health Equity
Jan. 25, 2022
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 poli…
103: Ending the HIV Epidemic
Jan. 24, 2022
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…
102: Recalling COVID-19’s First Case Part 2
Jan. 21, 2022
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 wha…
101: Recalling COVID-19's First Case Part 1
Jan. 20, 2022
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 i…
100: Rethinking School Discipline Part 2
Jan. 19, 2022
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 Sta…
99: Rethinking School Discipline Part 1
Jan. 18, 2022
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…
98: MLK and Health Equity
Jan. 14, 2022
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 i…
97: Announcing ASTHO’s 2022 Federal Policy Agenda
Jan. 13, 2022
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 CE…
96: COVID-19 Messaging Lessons
Jan. 12, 2022
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 …
93: Supreme Court Hears Vaccine Cases
Jan. 7, 2022
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 …
92: School Nurses Navigate Omicron’s Surge
Jan. 6, 2022
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 …
91: Immunization Proposals Await Action
Jan. 5, 2022
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 s…
90: Helping Kids Hurt by COVID
Jan. 4, 2022
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 ch…
89: Fighting COVID-19 in the Pacific
Dec. 21, 2021
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 Labo…
87: 2022 Public Health Policy Agenda
Dec. 17, 2021
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…
86: Power Outage Preparedness
Dec. 16, 2021
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 Preparedn…
85: Public Health on Capitol Hill
Dec. 15, 2021
Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, analyzes the Build Back Better Act and looks ahead to the possibility of another continuing resolution in February; Dr. Nicole Alexand…
84: Vaccine Anniversary and Lawsuit
Dec. 14, 2021
Mike Fraser, ASTHO’s CEO, recognizes the first anniversary of a COVID-19 vaccine and discusses hesitancy; Professor Dorit Reiss, University of California Hastings College of the Law, examines the legal arguments behind a law…
83: Senate Vaccine Mandate Resolution
Dec. 13, 2021
Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, says it’s unlikely Congress will roll back one of President Biden’s vaccine mandates; Devon Page, a government affairs analyst at ASTH…
82: Vaccine Awareness
Dec. 10, 2021
Kim Martin, ASTHO’s Director of Immunization, tells us how an event like National Influenza Vaccination Week impacts vaccination awareness; ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser says communities weary of COVID-19 cannot afford to let their …
81: State of Vaccines
Dec. 9, 2021
Claire Hannan, Executive Director of the Association of Immunization Managers, says vaccines have benefited from the attention they’ve received during the pandemic; Jessica Baggett, ASTHO’s COVID-19 Response Director, says s…
80: New Long Haulers Media Campaign
Dec. 8, 2021
Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, a non-profit organization, debuts a media campaign sharing stories of young people suffering from Long COVID; The White House hosts a Maternal Health Day of Action…
79: Public Health’s Future
Dec. 7, 2021
Dr. Judy Monroe, President and CEO of the CDC Foundation, shares details of a new series of discussions considering the future of public health; Felecia Barrow, an ASTHO Disability and Preparedness Specialist working in Alab…
78: Vaccine Mandate Prediction
Dec. 6, 2021
ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia says influenza and COVID-19 have a lot in common, as National Influenza Vaccination Week kicks off today; Professor James Hodge Jr., at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at…
77: ASTHO Reacts to Winter COVID Strategy
Dec. 3, 2021
ASTHO leaders react to President Biden’s winter COVID-19 strategy. Dr. Nirav Shah, ASTHO President and Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO’s Chief Medical Officer, d…
76: Omicron Variant Now in the U.S.
Dec. 2, 2021
ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia says there are more questions than answers regarding the Omicron variant now in the United States; Dr. Plescia writes in a new ASTHO blog article that the pandemic presents an h…
75: World AIDS Day Impact
Dec. 1, 2021
Dr. Stephen Lee, Executive Director of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, talks about World AIDS Day and the opportunities for public health agencies; Dr. Umair Shah, Washington’s Secretary of Hea…
74: The White House Celebrates Public Health
Nov. 30, 2021
Several ASTHO members attend a White House event in appreciation of public health workers across the states and territories. ASTHO President Dr. Nirav Shah, ASTHO President-Elect Dr. Anne Zink, California’s Dr. Tomas Aragon,…
73: Alzheimer’s Strategy
Nov. 29, 2021
Dr. Alexis Travis, Michigan’s Senior Deputy Director at the Department of Health and Human Services, explains her focus on caring for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias; Janet Hamilton, Executive Director of the Cou…
72: Public Health Thank You Day
Nov. 22, 2021
ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser offers his thoughts on today’s Public Health Thank You Day celebration recognizing public health workers across the states and territories. He also previews a special event at the White House scheduled …
71: Title X Grants Explained
Nov. 19, 2021
Clare Coleman, President and CEO of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, explains how to apply for a new round of Title X grants now available from HHS; Dr. Steven Stack, Commissioner of the Kent…
70: An MD to Lead ONDCP
Nov. 18, 2021
ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser says the appointment of Dr. Rahul Gupta, the former West Virginia health commissioner, to be Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, is good news for states and territories;…
69: Tribal Communities COVID Response
Nov. 17, 2021
Lynn Trujillo, Secretary of the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department, explains the challenges and successes of the COVID-19 response in her state’s tribal communities; Mylynn Tufte, North Dakota’s former state health officia…
68: Leading with Gratitude
Nov. 16, 2021
Mylynn Tufte, North Dakota’s former state health official, explains the power of gratitude in advance of her Insight and Inspiration talk on Thursday, Nov. 18; Rhea Farberman, Director of Strategic Communications and Policy …
67: Polling the Pandemic
Nov. 15, 2021
The Rockefeller Foundation releases its 5th survey of Americans’ attitudes about the pandemic response; Dr. Nicole Alexander Scott, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, says every public health agency should up…
66: New Health Misinformation Toolkit
Nov. 12, 2021
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy unveils a new health misinformation toolkit; Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO President-Elect, gives parents five reasons to vaccinate their kids against COVID-19; Sami Jo Freeman, Deputy Communicat…