Public Health Review Morning Edition

In this Federal Health Policy Update, Senior Analyst for Government Affairs at ASTHO, Catherine Murphy, breaks down the latest leadership changes across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She explains the nominations for CDC director and surgeon general, recent transitions at the FDA, and other key appointments shaping the federal public health landscape. Murphy also discusses why s...

What happens when a public health agency decides to step out from behind the scenes and tell its own story?  Jerome Larkin, ASTHO member and director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, talks about the department’s “Better State of Healthy” campaign, an effort to help residents better understand the role public health plays in their everyday lives. The campaign highlights the people behind p...

Technical expertise can open doors in public health, but effective leadership requires a different set of skills: communication, self-awareness, adaptability, and the confidence to lead authentically. Gabby Hadly, emergency preparedness and response manager for the Snohomish County Health Department in Washington state, reflects on her experience in ASTHO's Executives Leading in Public Health...

For small and resource-constrained health jurisdictions, data modernization isn't just about adopting new technology, it's about building systems that strengthen people, improve workflows, and create lasting resilience. Tmong Udui, an epidemiologist with the Palau Ministry of Health and Human Services, shares how Palau is leveraging Public Health Infrastructure Grant funding to modernize i...

Strong public health preparedness depends on sustained investment long before an emergency occurs. In this Federal Health Policy Update, Catherine Jones, senior analyst of Government Affairs at ASTHO, explains what congressional preparedness hearings revealed about the nation's readiness for major events like the FIFA World Cup, while highlighting why recent disease threats underscore the need...

Summer brings an increased risk of tick bites, and this year that risk may be arriving earlier than expected. Alison Hinckley, lead of Epidemiology and Surveillance in CDC's Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, explains what the latest surveillance data show, why emergency department visits for tick bites are rising sooner than usual, and the simple prevention steps health agencies can promote t...

Wastewater surveillance has emerged as one of public health's most innovative tools, offering early warning signs of disease outbreaks and filling critical gaps left by traditional surveillance systems. Breanna McArdle, epidemiologist and program manager for Washington state's wastewater-based epidemiology program, explains how public health agencies decide which pathogens to monitor, why...

Artificial intelligence is already finding its way into public health agencies, from drafting communications and translating materials to analyzing data and identifying emerging health threats. The challenge for leaders is no longer whether to use AI, but how to implement it responsibly. In this PHIG Impact Report, we hear from Tatiana Lin and Shelby Rowell of the Kansas Health Institute. Tatiana...

Improving maternal and infant health outcomes requires more than quality clinical care, it takes strong partnerships, community engagement, and a commitment to addressing barriers that extend far beyond the exam room.  Today, Denise Hanisch, chief medical officer for the South Dakota Department of Health, discusses the state's maternal and infant health priorities, including postpartum care, s...

ASTHO CEO Dr. Joseph Kanter reflects on key themes emerging from the Executive Leadership Forum, where public health leaders from across the country are navigating funding uncertainty, workforce challenges, and an increasingly complex operating environment. He also shares a powerful example of disease detection and collaboration that prevented infant illness and demonstrated the everyday impact of...

Strategic plans are only as effective as an organization’s ability to put them into action. In this episode, ASTHO's Sara Bell, a senior analyst for public health systems and planning, and Alice Schenall, a senior advisor for cross-sector leadership and change management, discuss two critical challenges facing public health agencies: turning plans into measurable progress and leading teams thr...

A new employee’s first days can shape their entire experience with an organization. For public health agencies facing workforce challenges, effective onboarding is an important investment in long-term success.  Mary Ramirez, interim director of onboarding and acclimation at the Bureau of Organizational Development in the South Carolina Department of Public Health, discusses the agency’s innovative...

Emergency preparedness is about far more than response plans and trained personnel. In this episode, Senior Analyst for Preparedness at ASTHO Maggie Nilz discusses how states are rethinking preparedness in the wake of COVID-19 and adapting to a changing emergency management landscape.  Nilz explains how pandemic-era shortages exposed vulnerabilities in supply chains, resource distribution, and sto...

Oregon’s latest State Health Improvement Plan is designed to do more than identify public health priorities, it aims to align partners, resources, and communities around measurable goals for a healthier future.  ASTHO member Naomi Adeline-Biggs, director of the Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division, talks about the development of Oregon’s five-year State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP)....

What public health issues are capturing the attention of state lawmakers in 2026?  Beth Giambrone, ASTHO senior analyst for state health policy, returns to discuss ASTHO’s mid-session update, an annual review of the major public health trends emerging in state legislatures across the country. From expanding access to healthcare and strengthening rural health systems to addressing nutrition, mental...

What happens when health departments and universities move beyond informal collaborations and build lasting partnerships?  Mayela Arana, senior program manager of workforce development at the Public Health Foundation, joins us to discuss academic health department partnerships, formal collaborations between public health agencies and academic institutions designed to strengthen both the current wo...

What happens when a health department invests directly in the education and professional growth of its workforce?  Karla Buru, deputy director of health strategy and external affairs and chief of staff for the South Carolina Department of Public Health, discusses the agency’s Supplemental Tuition Assistance Program (STAP), an innovative workforce development initiative that helps employees pursue...

Federal funding, workforce capacity, grant administration, and the future of public health programs are all under scrutiny in Washington.  ASTHO senior analyst for government affairs, Catherine Jones, breaks down Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s FY27 budget hearings, where lawmakers examined proposed reductions to HHS funding and questioned how cuts to public health programs align with the ad...

Syphilis cases are rising at alarming rates across the American South, especially congenital syphilis, which can be passed from pregnant mothers to their babies. Thomas Dobbs, dean of the John D. Bower School of Population Health at the University of Mississippi, traces the history of syphilis in the United States, from the dramatic declines made possible by antibiotics and public health intervent...

A tick bite that can trigger a lifelong allergy to red meat sounds almost unbelievable, but public health officials are taking the growing threat of alpha-gal syndrome seriously.  Robert Goldstein, ASTHO member and commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, shares with us why Massachusetts recently made alpha-gal syndrome a reportable condition and what the state hopes to learn...

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping public health, but are today’s workforce and tomorrow’s graduates prepared to use it responsibly? Today, Ari Whiteman, a senior advisor for public health data and informatics workforce at ASTHO, talks about the growing importance of AI literacy across the public health field.  He’ll explain why AI literacy goes beyond simply knowing how to use new tools...

Immunization Information Systems, or IISs, quietly power much of the nation’s vaccination infrastructure helping clinicians track patient immunizations, supporting outbreak response, and guiding public health decision-making. But policies governing these systems vary widely across states, shaping how complete and effective the data can be.  ASTHO’s Senior Director of State Health Policy, Andy Bake...

What happens when a deadly outbreak is stopped before most people ever hear about it?  Dr. Paige Armstrong, director for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Global Health Center, explains how the CDC works with partners around the world to detect and contain emerging health threats before they reach U.S. communities. From Ebola in Uganda to Marburg in Tanzania, Dr. Armstrong shares rea...

A rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is raising alarm among global health officials. Meredith Allen, ASTHO’s vice president of health security, returns to break down what makes this outbreak especially concerning, including the identification of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a type with no approved vaccine or treatment currently available. She explains why delay...

North Dakota’s statewide preparedness system grew out of lessons learned from disasters, public health emergencies, and the realities of serving rural and frontier communities. Tim Wiedrich, director of health response and licensure for the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, tells us about how the state developed a unified public-private partnership that supports hospitals, publ...