Jeffrey Ekoma

Jeffrey Ekoma Profile Photo

Senior Director, Government Affairs, ASTHO

Dec. 6, 2024

805: Lame Duck Priority Preview, National Influenza Vaccination Week

Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for Government Affairs, tells us what to expect from Congress as the year wraps up; Dr. Brendan Jackson, director of the Office of Readiness, Response, and Operations for the CDC's Nation…
Sept. 20, 2024

754: Telehealth Funding Opportunities, Congress Ponders Appropriations

Captain Heather Dimeris, director for the Office of the Advancement of Telehealth at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, discusses investments in telehealth as we celebrate Telehealth Awareness Week; Jeffrey Ek…
Aug. 23, 2024

735: Respiratory Virus Season Briefing, ASTHO Continues Work Through Recess

ASTHO hosted a Respiratory Virus Season Deskside Briefing attended by national media outlets with Dr. Marcus Plescia, Dr. Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge, Dr. Sameer Vohra, and Dr. Manisha Juthani; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO Senior Dire…
Aug. 2, 2024

720: Poll Reveals Trust-Building Opportunities, Congress Preps for Recess

Dr. Gillian SteelFisher, director of global polling at the Harvard Opinion Research Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, tells us what a new national poll says about people and their public health priori…
July 26, 2024

715: Preventable Early Deaths, Appropriations Season Continues

Dr. Macarena Garcia, a senior health scientist at the Office of Rural Health at the CDC, summarizes a report focused on preventable premature deaths in rural America; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for Government Affai…
June 28, 2024

695: LGBTQ+ Inclusivity, Appropriation Season in Full Swing

Dr. Jorge Petit, founder and CEO of Quality Healthcare Solutions, discusses his article in Forbes where he advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusivity; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for Government Affairs, helps us navigate appr…
May 10, 2024

662: Doula Care Gains Support, Helping Mothers Heal

Alex Kearly, ASTHO director of Medicaid and Public Health Partnerships, says doula care is one of the most promising strategies to address maternal health disparities; Kay Matthews, executive director and founder of the Shad…
May 3, 2024

657: Nurses Will Discuss Burnout, Proposed Rules on Menthol and Labs

Nyuma Harrison, director of programs at the American Nurses Foundation, explains a webinar about burnout planned as part of National Nurses Week activities; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO's senior director for Government Affairs, and …
April 12, 2024

642: Black Maternal Health Week, PH Appropriations Book

Chemyeeka Tumblin, a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in perinatal and maternal mental health, outlines the importance of Black Maternal Health Week; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO's senior director for government a…
March 15, 2024

622: High Food Costs Hurt WIC, Proposed Budget Breakdown

Dr. Scott Harris, state health officer with the Alabama Department of Public Health and ASTHO Member, recalls his recent visit to Congress a few weeks ago; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for Government Affairs, says AS…
March 1, 2024

612: Capitol Hill Conversations, Tracking Carbon Monoxide Dangers

Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for Government Affairs, tells us how Hill day went this week; Stephanie Moraga-McHaley, program manager for the New Mexico Environmental Public Health Tracking program, says the number of…
Feb. 16, 2024

603: Report Calls for New Health Data Approach, ASTHO Members Plan Hill Visit

Dr. Gabriel Seidman, Director of Policy at the Ellison Institute of Technology, details the need for a stronger nationwide health data ecosystem; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO Senior Director for Government Affairs, tells us how some…
Jan. 26, 2024

588: Legislation to Manage A-I, Congress Discusses Workforce Issues

Catherine Jones, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Government Affairs, says there are discussions underway to ensure the AI is managed properly; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO Senior Director for Government Affairs, tells us Congress remains b…
Jan. 12, 2024

579: Tracking Congressional Deadlines, King’s Message Mirrors PH Concerns

Kyle Gasaway, ASTHO communications manager for the Leadership and Learning Unit, talks about the very successful Diverse Executives Leading in Public Health program; Jeffrey Ekoma, senior director for Government Affairs, is …
Jan. 4, 2024

573: Disability Definition Coming Soon, Federal Priorities Outlined

Annie Evans, ASTHO director of Preparedness and Disability Integration, tells us ASTHO working to create a definition of disability to be used in the ESSENCE program; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for Government Affai…
Dec. 22, 2023

570: Policies Protect Health Data, Series Serves as Early-Warning System, ASTHO’s 2024 Federal Legislative Agenda

Lillian Colasurdo, ASTHO director of Public Health Law and Data Sharing, discusses work to protect consumer data gathered from a growing number of health-related transactions; Mike Fraser, ASTHO CEO, reacts to the legislativ…
Nov. 3, 2023

538: One Health Simplified, Shutdown Potential

Dr. Karen Smith, Former California Public Health Officer, discusses how agencies can begin their One Health approach; an ASTHO report outlines how Idaho and New Jersey are taking a One Health approach to address environmenta…
Sept. 22, 2023

509: Bundling Vaccinations, Hoping to Avoid a Government Shutdown

Dr. Gillian SteelFisher, Director of Global Polling at the Harvard Opinion Research Program, says promoting the flu, RSV, and COVID-19 vaccines together help broaden the appeal; Dr. Jennifer Shuford, Commissioner for the Tex…
Sept. 15, 2023

504: Creative Vaccine Events, Congress Faces Two September Deadlines

Dr. Armando De Alba Rosales, Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Student Programs at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, shares creative strategies to boost vaccine uptake among Hispanic communities; a…
Aug. 25, 2023

490: Immunization Policy Statement, Fiscal Year Predictions

Kris Ehresmann, former Director of Infectious Disease at the Minnesota Department of Health, describes ASTHO’s revised policy statement; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, discusses predictions for…
July 28, 2023

470: Mental Health Rulemaking, Senate Version of PH Spending

Alison Maffey, ASTHO’s Vice President of Social and Behavioral Health, explains the impact of President Biden’s proposed rule to make it easier to access in-network mental health care; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Director …
July 14, 2023

460: Big City Gun Violence Data, Drug Shortage Letter to Congress

Chrissie Juliano, the Executive Director of the Big Cities Health Coalition, says that policy changes are needed to address rising rates of gun violence; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, explains…
June 16, 2023

443: 2023 DELPH Cohort, House Hearing on Preparedness

Avia Mason, ASTHO Vice President of Leadership and Organizational Performance, explains the significance of the 2023 DELPH cohort; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO Senior Director of Government Affairs, says public health emergency prep…
June 9, 2023

438: CDC Data Initiative, Hill PH Hearings

Dr. Heather Strosnider, Customer Success and Engagement Lead for the CDC's Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology, says the Data Modernization Initiative is pivotal to advancing public health; ASTHO has p…
May 12, 2023

419: ASTHO’s NC Amicus Brief, PAHPA Hill Hearing

Maggie Davis, ASTHO’s Director of State Health Policy, explains an amicus brief ASTHO filed in a North Carolina court case; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, reports on progress with the reauthori…
April 14, 2023

399: Trust Strategies, Congress Gets Back to Work

Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, Senior Associate Dean at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health, reflects on restoring trust in public health; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO Senior Director of Government Affairs, tells …
March 31, 2023

389: Seeking School Lunch Comments, Debt Ceiling Discussions

Shannon Vance, ASTHO’s Senior Analyst, Family and Child Health, encourages ASTHO members to comment on the USDA's proposed standards for school lunch and breakfast programs; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Governme…
March 24, 2023

384: New School Lunch Guidelines, ASTHO Testifies Before Congress

Cindy Long, Administrator of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, says a new set of proposed school lunch guidelines are an important step to putting kids on a path to healthy lifestyles; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Direct…
Oct. 18, 2022

285: COVID-19 Spending Oversight

Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, says oversight of COVID-19 spending might increase if midterm elections lead to change in U.S. House leadership ; Heidi Westermann, ASTHO’s Director of Public Hea…
Sept. 28, 2022

272: Oregon’s Regional Health Equity Coalitions

Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, discusses a White House summit he attended in recognition of National Recovery Month; Mike Fraser, ASTHO’s CEO is heading to the White House for the bipartisan Co…
March 3, 2022

130: ASTHO’s State of the Union Response

Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, reacts to President Biden’s comments about public health in his State of the Union address Tuesday night; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senio…
Nov. 8, 2021

63: Build Back Better Funds PH

Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Director for Government Affairs, says the latest version of the Build Back Better Act includes billions for public health projects; Richa Ranade, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Overdose Prevention, …
Sept. 14, 2021

25: FDA’s E-Cigarette Review

Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Director of Government Affairs, discusses the FDA’s move to delay a decision on marketing applications for some flavored e-cigarette products; Melissa McGrath, Chief of Staff for the Council of Chief S…