Episodes

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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
85: Public Health on Capitol Hill
Dec. 15, 2021

85: Public Health on Capitol Hill

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 Alexander Scott, Director of the...
84: Vaccine Anniversary and Lawsuit
Dec. 14, 2021

84: Vaccine Anniversary and Lawsuit

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 lawsuit challenging New York...
83: Senate Vaccine Mandate Resolution
Dec. 13, 2021

83: Senate Vaccine Mandate Resolution

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 ASTHO, tells us how...
82: Vaccine Awareness
Dec. 10, 2021

82: Vaccine Awareness

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 guard down; and Dr....
81: State of Vaccines
Dec. 9, 2021

81: State of Vaccines

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 states and territories...
80: New Long Haulers Media Campaign
Dec. 8, 2021

80: New Long Haulers Media Campaign

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 event; and ASTHO is hiring...
79: Public Health’s Future
Dec. 7, 2021

79: Public Health’s Future

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 Alabama, tells how National...
78: Vaccine Mandate Prediction
Dec. 6, 2021

78: Vaccine Mandate Prediction

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 Arizona State University...
77: ASTHO Reacts to Winter COVID Strategy
Dec. 3, 2021

77: ASTHO Reacts to Winter COVID Strategy

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, discuss booster shots,...
76: Omicron Variant Now in the U.S.
Dec. 2, 2021

76: Omicron Variant Now in the U.S.

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 historic opportunity to...
75: World AIDS Day Impact
Dec. 1, 2021

75: World AIDS Day Impact

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 Health, explains how...
74:  The White House Celebrates Public Health
Nov. 30, 2021

74: The White House Celebrates Public Health

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, and Dr. LaQuandra...
73:  Alzheimer’s Strategy
Nov. 29, 2021

73: Alzheimer’s Strategy

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 Council of State and...
72:  Public Health Thank You Day
Nov. 22, 2021

72: Public Health Thank You Day

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 for Noon eastern time;...
71:  Title X Grants Explained
Nov. 19, 2021

71: Title X Grants Explained

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 Kentucky Department for Public...
70:  An MD to Lead ONDCP
Nov. 18, 2021

70: An MD to Lead ONDCP

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; Chris Salyers,...
69:  Tribal Communities COVID Response
Nov. 17, 2021

69: Tribal Communities COVID Response

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 official, prepares to discuss...
68:  Leading with Gratitude
Nov. 16, 2021

68: Leading with Gratitude

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 Research at the Trust for...