1230: Joseph Kanter on Building Connections and Strengthening Public Health

JOHN SHEEHAN:

This is Public Health Review Morning Edition for Friday, October 23rd, 2026. I am John Sheehan with news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. State and territorial health officials are navigating significant uncertainty while working to protect the health of their communities.

Today, Dr. Joseph Kanter, CEO of ASTHO, reflects on the 2026 Fall Leadership Forum and the importance of bringing public health leaders together to share information, strengthen partnerships, and address common challenges. He discusses key conversations from this year's meeting, preparing for leadership transitions, and how ASTHO supports health officials across the country. Dr. Kanter, thanks for joining us. Tell us about this year's Fall Leadership Forum. What are some takeaways?

JOSEPH KANTER:

Well, we're here, having just wrapped up our 2026 Fall Leadership Forum, and it was great. So much energy, we convened health officials from states and territories across the country, and we do this twice a year, and getting everyone in the same room is so important, particularly now, with all the challenges and uncertainty in public health. My immediate takeaway is what folks might not realize. Behind closed doors, the health officials of this country, the public health leaders in states and territories are just the most amazing group of dedicated apolitical professionals I have ever met in my life. Incredibly supportive of one another, collaborative, worked tirelessly in support of the health of communities throughout this country in a ways that people would be reassured to know is happening, a really inspiring group. We covered a broad range of topics over the past couple of days. Here at ASTHO's headquarters in Arlington, we had a candid and closed door discussion with the CDC director, Dr. Erica Schwartz. That was wide ranging. We talked about emergency preparedness. We talked about public health infrastructure and how to protect it. We talked about the need to rebuild public trust in public health and institutions of health. That's something that she cares deeply about and we discussed. We talked about partnerships between the CDC and states and how important those are for the health of communities. We talked about international cooperation and how do we receive vital health information from other countries, particularly on emerging threats. We certainly talked about the measles response and ways to collaborate better and improve that response. And a lot of other topics, it was a great conversation. In addition to that, we had closed door conversations amongst the health officials on the role of philanthropy in public health. We were appreciative of Dr. Judy Monroe, who leads the CDC Foundation for helping lead that discussion. She's an ASTHO alum. She's the former health official from Indiana. We had a great conversation on effective transitions of leadership moderated by John Auerbach. He's a wonderful public health leader and an alumni as well, former health official from Massachusetts. There are 36 state gubernatorial elections coming up two weeks from now, really. So we anticipate that we'll have quite a lot of transitions of public health leadership as governor's teams change in the coming months and looking forward to transitions. We discussed the upcoming political cycle and what that might mean for congressional priorities and where public health falls in that and where the needed funding for public health falls in that.

And then we had some protected time for health officials to just discuss issues candidly amongst themselves. And that's a really important time because the challenges that one state faces are often very similar to other states and collaboration is really important. So, it was a really great few days. I'm very energized and just so in awe of the public health leaders that are in states and territories across the country.

SHEEHAN:

Why is it important for public health officials to come together like this and share ideas?

KANTER:

You know, states have really provided an incredible amount of stability in public health over the past couple of years in challenging circumstances. And the nature of these challenges are somewhat different in every state, but a lot of them are shared. And so when there is opportunity for collaboration, information sharing, the sharing of best practices between states, that is highly, highly valuable. And, you know, as I mentioned, we are so fortunate that just the caliber of health officials that are leading states and territories in the country right now, incredibly committed professionals who do not bring politics through the door. They are working day and night to help improve the health of families and communities within their jurisdictions. And they learn a lot from each other. So, that's one of the most special things about these convenings is the opportunity for information sharing and collaboration.

SHEEHAN:

And what do you hope attendees took away from this year's forum and what can they bring back home?

KANTER:

One thing I hope attendees took away is that there is support out there. These jobs can be really hard. Sometimes they can be lonely. You know, I know that from personal experience as a former health official, but what I would like public health teams across the country to know first and foremost is there is a whole network of support out there eager to help them in their work because they share the mission. And that is peers, other health officials in other parts of the country and their teams. And it's also associations like ASTHO and our partner associations as well. We exist to support the important work of health departments. So I think knowing what resources are out there, knowing that there is a community of folks eager to help support the vital work of health departments is really important.

SHEEHAN:

And lastly, looking ahead, how do you hope conversations and connections made this year will strengthen public health agencies across the country?

KANTER:

We've got a very exciting year coming up. As I mentioned, we anticipate with all the gubernatorial elections coming soon, we anticipate a number of leadership transitions in health departments across the country. And that's an opportunity to refocus priorities, but it's also a calling for us to help support those members and ensure that they are brought up to speed as quickly as possible and make connections quickly. So we are looking forward to that work. We've got within ASTHO great leadership coming in. Our newly inaugurated ASTHO president is Dr. Dan Edney, the state health official for the great state of Mississippi. And he brings a wealth of expertise and compassion and insight. We're really excited to see the vision that he will bring throughout this year. And we just announced our newly elected president-elect who is Dr. Puthiery Va, the director of the Maine Centers for Disease Control. She will serve as president-elect for this calendar year and then take office as president next year. So a lot of exciting work ahead and we are so eager to get on with it.

SHEEHAN:

Dr. Joseph Kanter is the CEO of ASTHO. ASTHO's Public Health Performance Management Solutions Showcase offers public health professionals an opportunity to explore solutions that can strengthen and support their agency's performance management efforts. Participants will hear from vendors and public health agencies about how different platforms and systems are being used in real world settings while gaining insights into key considerations for selecting and implementing a solution.

The showcase is designed to help participants identify tools and approaches that align with their agency's priorities, capacity, and infrastructure needs. Find the link in the show notes. ASTHO is accepting applications for the 2027 Falls Prevention Virtual Community of Practice. This cohort-based learning experience will provide a platform for participating teams to exchange insights, develop action plans, refine implementation approaches, and strengthen planning for expanding falls prevention through community clinical linkages. COP participants will engage in a series of virtual sessions to learn from fellow teams and experts and receive technical assistance to implement steady-based strategies for preventing falls among older adults. Learn more in the show notes.

This has been Public Health Review Morning Edition. I'm John Sheehan for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.