James McDonald, MD, MPH
Aug. 20, 2026
1190: State Health Leaders Outline Strategies Ahead of Respiratory Virus Season
On today's episode, hear highlights from ASTHO's recent briefing, where public health leaders from Connecticut, Alabama, New York, and Alaska discussed strategies to address vaccine hesitancy and improve access to vaccinations.
Aug. 10, 2026
1183: Five Years of Public Health: The Stories That Shaped Our Journey
In this episode, we celebrate five years of Public Health Review: Morning Edition and revisit some of the defining moments from the podcast's past years.
March 30, 2026
1095: Inside New York’s Next-Gen Wadsworth Lab
On today's episode, ASTHO member James McDonald returns to the show to unpack the state’s investment in the new, state-of-the-art Wadsworth Center Laboratory.
Guest: James McDonald, MD, MPH
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 down the first statewide health-economic evaluation of naloxone administration.
Guest: James McDonald, MD, MPH
342
June 26, 2025
935: Federal Funding Cuts, Opioid Overdose Death Decline Strategies
Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO; Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president; Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer; Dr. Lindsay Weaver of Indiana; Dr. James McDonald of New York; and Dr. Ralph Alvarado of Tennessee, share more from Tuesday’s deskside briefing on the Impact of Nutrition on Chronic Disease Prevention; Kelly Dougherty, deputy commissioner at the Vermont Department of Health, explains...
341
June 25, 2025
934: ASTHO Deskside Briefing, Congressional Public Health Priorities
Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president, Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, Dr. Lindsay Weaver of Indiana, Dr. James McDonald of New York, and Dr. Ralph Alvarado of Tennessee, held a deskside briefing on the Impact of Nutrition on Chronic Disease Prevention; Catherine Jones, senior analyst of government affairs at ASTHO, shares...
336
June 17, 2025
929: PHIG Funding for PH Workforce
In the latest PHIG Impact Report, Dr. James McDonald, commissioner of the New York State Department of Health, explains how the Public Health Infrastructure Grant strengthens the state’s public health workforce.
Guest: James McDonald, MD, MPH
333
June 12, 2025
926: Data to Reduce Heat Injuries, Public Health Rumors
Dr. James McDonald, ASTHO member and commissioner of the New York State Department of Health, discusses the State’s Heat Risk and Illness Dashboard and how it can reduce heat-related injury; Dr. Tara Kirk Sell, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security...
Guests: James McDonald, MD, MPH , Tara Kirk Sell PhD MA
415
Dec. 9, 2024
806: Substance Misuse and Overdose Prevention Outlook, PHAB Journey
Dr. James McDonald, commissioner of the New York State Department of Health, discusses substance misuse and overdose prevention as part of ASTHO’s Legislative Prospectus Series; Dr. Lindsey Kato, director for the Division of Public Health with the...
Guests: James McDonald, MD, MPH , Lindsey Kato MPH
757
Sept. 12, 2024
748: Physician Scholarships Promote Health Equity, Learn about the FPHS Framework
Dr. James McDonald, MD, MPH, Commissioner of Health, New York State Department of Health, details a program that uses scholarships to address health inequities; Dr. Umair Shah, MD, MPH, Secretary of Health, Washington State Department of Health, had a...
Guests: James McDonald, MD, MPH , Marie Flake MPH BSN
168
Dec. 5, 2023
557: Pharmacists Give RSV Vaccine Without Prescription, PH Needs to Boost Strategic Skillset
Dr. Jim McDonald, commissioner of Health, New York State Department of Health, gives an order that allows New York pharmacists to administer RSV vaccines to older adults and pregnant people without a prescription; de Beaumont President and CEO Dr....
239
Feb. 13, 2023
356: New York’s Opioid Partnerships, Arizona’s Mobile Vaccination Clinics
Dr. Jim McDonald, New York State Acting Health Commissioner, says partnerships with people in local communities are key to the state's response to the opioid crisis; Siman Qaasim, Health Equity Administrator for the Arizona Department of Health...
Guests: James McDonald, MD, MPH , Siman Qaasim MBA
153
Sept. 26, 2022
270: Tracking Polio in New York
Dr. Jim McDonald, Medical Director for the New York State Department of Health, discusses the discovery of polio in wastewater in at least two NY counties; Carolyn McCoy, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Federal Government Affairs, explains legislation...
Guests: Carolyn McCoy, MPH , James McDonald, MD, MPH
121
Aug. 10, 2022
238: New York Responds to Monkeypox
Dr. James McDonald, Medical Director in the Office of Public Health for the New York State Department of Health, says the monkeypox response in New York follows the data and social determinants; a new ASTHO report about mosquitos highlights the work...