Beyond Data Management Podcast

Episode 34 of Beyond Data Management is here, and this week Cameron Garrison is joined by Melissa Rogerson for another Ask the Inspector-style conversation powered by questions from across EH Nation. In this episode We dig into the real-world challenges food inspectors and environmental health professionals face every day — from difficult operators and illegal food vendors to training new inspecto...

Season 2 of Beyond Data Management is here — and we’re kicking things off with a special Ask the Inspector episode. Host Cameron Garrison welcomes back Kristin Geary of HS GovTech to answer real questions from across EH Nation about food safety, health inspections, food trucks, fake complaints, rodents, date marking, code interpretation, and what inspectors really deal with in the field. This epis...

Happy holidays EH Nation! 🎄 It’s our Season 1 finale and year-end holiday extravaganza. We launched this show and channel in April with a simple goal: spotlight the “hidden profession” of Environmental Health (EH) with real stories, teachable moments, and some truly unforgettable clips. Eight months later, we’ve crossed 1,000,000+ views across all platforms — and it's all due to each of you....

Happy Tuesday, EH Nation! Today we head to the Pacific Northwest with Bonnie Waldemarson (Senior Environmental Specialist, Idaho North Central District). We dig into rural, multi-program Environmental Health: food safety, onsite septic, drinking water, and what happens when a caterer “cans” centerpieces (hello, botulism risk). We also break down that viral clip of an inspector pouring bleach on fo...

Fresh off the holiday break, we’re back with a field-level masterclass. Cameron sits down with Zach Barr (Registered Sanitarian, Toledo-Lucas County, OH) — a next-gen EH generalist who inspects pools, beaches, body art studios, housing, campgrounds, solid waste and more. Zach walks us through his NEHA photo contest shocker: a so-called “clean room” in a piercing studio with visible growth in the s...

If “death by PowerPoint” training isn’t changing behavior, you’ll love this one. Cameron sits down with Bob Custard (past NEHA President; Environmental Health Leadership Partners) — a globe-trotting EH trainer who’s worked on everything from MLB clubhouse food safety to global water & sanitation projects, and even won NEHA’s photo contest with a shot of a 1st-century AD public toilet in Ephesu...

A handwashing sink…used as a shelf?!  In this episode of Beyond Data Management - powered by HS GovTech, Cameron Garrison sits down with Marlene Johnson (City of Burlington, MA) - a NEHA Photo Contest winner and 20+ year Environmental Health pro. They unpack the viral photo, why handwashing still breaks systems, how Boston’s training pipeline launched her career, the unique “351 boards of health”...

🌍 Ever wonder in what ways food safety rules differ wildly between the UK and US? In this eye-opening episode of Beyond Data Management, host Cameron Garrison sits down with Graeme Mitchell, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Health at Liverpool John Moores University, for a transatlantic deep dive. What You’ll Learn: Why the US is “50 little countries” when it comes to food codes (and why the UK i...

Happy Halloween! 🎃 In this spooky bonus episode of the Beyond Data Management Podcast (powered by HS GovTech), host Cameron Garrison and producer Christina Miller bring you real-life ghost stories straight from the Reddit health-inspector community — plus a very special guest: Vinny the Skeleton 🦴 (complete with a hot date named Audrey). Originally pitched in August by Tina (who knew inspectors...

Join host Cameron Garrison for a riveting return visit with HS GovTech's Chirag Bhatt, former Bureau Chief of the City of Houston's Environmental Health Department.  In this storytelling-packed episode of the Beyond Data Management Podcast we take an unfiltered dive into the chaotic underbelly of public health regulation, Chirag shares jaw-dropping anecdotes from his 40+ years on the fro...

Environmental Health is prevention—and prevention is hard to see. It's why they local news doesn't lead with "Another plane took off safely - details at 11" In this episode of Beyond Data Management, host Cameron Garrison sits down with Larry Ramden, current President of NEHA (National Environmental Health Association) and longtime Massachusetts EH leader. Larry shares his jour...

Ever heard of the Nasal Ranger or odor school? In this episode of Beyond Data Management, host Cameron Garrison sits down with Melissa Rogerson, former Program Manager at the El Paso County, Colorado Health Department and now Senior Project Manager at HS GovTech. Melissa takes us on a fascinating journey from her early days studying math and optometry at Colorado State University, to discovering h...

Ashley Miller has had a remarkably diverse career in environmental health.  From a local inspector, to some of the largest company's in the country, she has worked in environmental health her entire career.   Ashley joins us for a wide ranging conversation about her years working with , and shares with us the exciting work that she is now doing at NEHA. Send us Fan Mail Please remember to lik...

Meet Mahek Zaveri, one of the bright new faces shaping the future of Environmental Health. By the time most teenagers in the U.S. were just getting their driver’s license, Mahek was already a fully trained dentist, performing advanced procedures like root canals. After moving to the United States to pursue her Master’s in Public Health, she discovered her true passion: Environmental Health. Mahek...

🏗️ In this episode of Beyond Data Management, we sit down with Christine Brakefield, former building official, to explore how municipal building and code departments are transforming the way plan design reviews are done. Discover how the DigePlan platform is helping local governments bring the plan review process online, using AI-enabled technology to make building departments more contractor-frie...

In this episode of Beyond Data Management, we dive into the exciting growth and big changes happening at HS GovTech, the leading provider of digital solutions for the Environmental Health community. Join the conversation with our new CEO, Eric Thomas, and Co-founder, CTO & Head of Product, Silas Garrison, as they share insights on: HS GovTech’s vision for the future of environmental health tec...

What if a tiny parasite could destroy the U.S. livestock industry? In this episode of the Beyond Data Podcast, we talk with Dr. David Dyjack (who called this threat out back in May as being real but not in the news - during a conversation on this podcast.) and he breaks down the shocking threat posed by the New World Screwworm—a flesh-eating parasite making a dangerous comeback. Discover how it sp...

Today's episode features a panel of EH professionals, and former health inspectors, answering viewer questions about health inspection scenario's including: "I observed someone in restaurant kitchen cutting a potato with a pocket knife - is it a violation?"  Also, check out the video at the end - of a violation an inspector ranks as one of the top 3 nastiest all time violations...

In this segment from the full episode.  We discuss a side bet between two health inspectors as to whether observing an employee in a restaurant kitchen using a pocket knife to cut potato's is a health code violations. Send us Fan Mail Please remember to like and subscribe - and reach out to us with your stories and show ideas Beyond@hscloudsuite.com 

In this Spotlight segment from the Beyond Data Management Podcast we talk about a health inspector viewer submission of a video of the nastiest thing they came across in a restaurant - McDonald's"  kitchen during a health inspection. Send us Fan Mail Please remember to like and subscribe - and reach out to us with your stories and show ideas Beyond@hscloudsuite.com 

On this episode, Cameron chats with HS's very own Kristen Geary about her life as an environmental health professional and restaurant inspector. A former Environmental Health Inspector and supervisor for Jackson County, Missouri, and still currently the manager of the State of Missouri Environmental Health Association.  Kristen dives into her story of working at the county office as an admin,...

In this special segment live from the NEHA AEC 2025 conference in Phoenix, NEHA CEO Dr. David Dyjack sits down with us to discuss the importance of the AEC and the pressing issues facing the EH community that/ NEHA is helping the community deal with. Send us Fan Mail Please remember to like and subscribe - and reach out to us with your stories and show ideas Beyond@hscloudsuite.com 

In this segment live from Phoenix we talk to NEHA's own Evan Suttell - Entreprenurial Zone Assistant with NEHA.  We discuss ab exciting new self assessment tool NEHA released for agencies at the 2025 AEC.  We also talk about his experience as a Jeopardy champion, earning $20,200, and he gives us a fascinating peak behind the scenes on how the process of being on Jeopardy works .  Evan is a re...

In this special segment of the Beyond Data Management Podcast LIVE from NEHA AEC 2025 in Phoenix we visit with Toni Ousley from Pueblo County Colorado Environmental Health Department.  Toni discusses the never ending adventure of being an EH professional and also talks about the importance of properly managing your agency's data. Send us Fan Mail Please remember to like and subscribe - and re...

In this special live segment from Phoenix, we chat with Randall Barnes the director of the Ashtabula County Ohio Environmental Health Department about his EH journey and his thoughts on the 2025 AEC. Send us Fan Mail Please remember to like and subscribe - and reach out to us with your stories and show ideas Beyond@hscloudsuite.com