Public Health Review Morning Edition

Public health data modernization isn’t a quick fix, it’s a multi-decade transformation. In this episode, ASTHO Senior Vice President for Population Health and Innovation, Jen Layden talks about the real progress happening across the country and the persistent challenges that remain.  Drawing from insights at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, or HIMSS, conference, Dr. Layde...

How do public health officials detect emerging viruses before they spread widely across the U.S.? Heather Reese, Genomic Epidemiology and Preparedness Team Lead at CDC tells us about the Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance (TGS) program: a cutting-edge effort that turns international travel into an early warning system for public health threats.  By combining voluntary nasal swabs from incoming tr...

Public health challenges don’t exist in neat categories, so why does funding?  In this episode, Corinne Gillenwater, ASTHO senior analyst for Chronic Disease and Health Improvement, unpacks the limitations of traditional, siloed funding models and explores a more adaptive approach: flexible funding.  It’s the topic of the upcoming ASTHO webinar, “Driving Impact with Flexible Funding.”  From “braid...

What does it take to build a stronger, more resilient food system? In this episode we speak with Nessa Richman, executive director of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council about how the Council is bringing diverse stakeholders together to tackle complex food challenges, from farmers and fishers to public health leaders and policymakers.  Nessa will explain how the council creates space for collabor...

Grants management doesn’t always get the spotlight, but it’s critical to how public health departments operate and deliver services. In this episode, Colton Anderson, a senior analyst in Public Health Systems Improvement at ASTHO, explains how agencies across the country are rethinking and improving their grants management processes.  From centralizing functions and modernizing systems to refining...

What does it take to turn a struggling performance management system into a national standout? Anna Bryant, Performance Manager at the Louisiana Department of Health, shares the story of how her team went from receiving an action plan after initial accreditation in 2019 to earning top recognition during their 2025 reaccreditation.  Using a “telescope and microscope” analogy, Bryant breaks down the...

At this year’s Spring Leadership Forum, momentum was unmistakable. With more than 40 health officials convening for a week of strategy, training, and direct engagement with federal leaders, a unified message emerged: the future of public health depends on sustained investment and smarter, more flexible funding.  Catherine Jones, ASTHO Government Affairs Senior Analyst, returns to discuss the bigge...

What if public health recruitment started with a summer camp? In this PHIG impact report, Veronika Hanna and Mondi Mason from the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment share how creative workforce strategies powered by the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) are opening new pathways into the field.  Veronika Hanna walks through Denver’s innovative three-day public health “summer...

Today: bringing oral health into the public health conversation with Flora Nathan, assistant secretary for the Bureau of Oral Health in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. At her first ASTHO Spring Leadership Forum, Flora shares a candid look at the challenges and opportunities of delivering oral healthcare across a U.S. remote island nation. From severe workforce shortages and long clinic wait...

The FY27 federal budget proposal is officially out, and while it’s just the opening move, there’s already a lot to unpack. In this episode, ASTHO’s Senior Director for Government Affairs, Jeffrey Ekoma, breaks down what’s in the proposal, what’s changed from last year, and what it all signals for public health and federal agencies.  He’ll dig into key highlights, including the proposed creation of...

Public health doesn’t stop at hospitals or health departments, it lives in barbershops, grocery stores, schools, and small businesses. In this episode for National Public Health Week, Megan DeNubila-Griffin, ASTHO Assistant Director of Chronic Disease and Health Improvement, explores how agencies are building meaningful partnerships with non-traditional community players to address the social and...

In this National Public Health Week conversation about community leadership and tobacco control, Josh Berry, Director, Chronic Disease Risk Factors at ASTHO, breaks down how state and territorial programs partner with trusted, on-the-ground community organizations to reach at-risk populations and drive real impact. These long-standing relationships aren’t just helpful, they’re essential to buildin...

Scientific advancement has always been at the heart of public health, but as new technologies emerge, the opportunities and challenges are evolving.  In this National Public Health Week conversation, ASTHO Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Susan Kansagra explores how public health can better integrate innovation into everyday practice, from leveraging continuous improvement frameworks like Plan-Do-Study-...

As National Public Health Week kicks off, this episode spotlights a theme that often goes unnoticed but is essential to keeping communities safe: government partners. ASTHO CEO Dr. Joseph Kanter reflects on the “invisible wins” of public health, from behind-the-scenes planning for massive events like Mardi Gras and the World Cup to the work that quietly prevents crises before they start. It’s a re...

As the federal budget process stalls, uncertainty continues to ripple through Washington. ASTHO’s senior director of Government Affairs, Jeffrey Ekoma joins us to break down the latest on the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown, which is the longest on record, and what it means for the broader FY26 budget timeline.  He’ll unpack how congressional gridlock is delaying progress on FY27...

What happens when an entire health system is pushed to the brink of a funding cliff?  In this episode, Dr. Victor Ramos Otero, Secretary of Health for Puerto Rico, joins the show to discuss the urgent challenges facing the island’s health care system. At the center of the conversation is the looming expiration of enhanced Medicaid funding in 2027, a shift that could strip away a third of Puerto Ri...

What does it take to communicate clearly when the stakes are high and the science is complex?  In this episode, Jessica Wieder, President of Teal Skies Consulting and former leader in external affairs at FEMA and EPA, shares how a career that started with a satellite crash simulation turned into two decades at the forefront of radiological preparedness and risk communication.  Jessica breaks down...

What if public health could predict outbreaks the way we predict the weather? In this episode, Jason Asher, Director of the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics at the CDC, joins us to explain how a new generation of data tools is transforming how we detect and respond to infectious diseases.  For decades, public health has relied on lagging data telling us what already happened. Asher an...

What does the future of public health look like and what does it cost to build it? In this episode, ASTHO member Dr. James McDonald, Commissioner of Health for New York State, returns to the show to unpack the state’s $1.7 billion investment in a new, state-of-the-art Wadsworth Center Laboratory.  Set to consolidate five aging facilities into one 655,000-square-foot, LEED Gold-certified campus in...

Long COVID didn’t end with the pandemic and in some ways, the challenges are just beginning. In this episode, Heather Drummond, Deputy Director of the Center for Access to Whole Person Care for the Washington State Department of Health joins us to discuss the myths, realities, and urgent gaps surrounding Long COVID today.  With an estimated 6.2% of Washington adults affected and over $1.5 billion...

At this year’s ASTHO Spring Leadership Forum, Gaafar Uherbelau, Advisor to the President of Palau and former Minister of Health and Human Services, shared the story behind a long-awaited solution to a quiet but growing challenge in public health.  Palau’s new transition facility is designed for individuals who are medically cleared to leave the hospital but have nowhere to go, or no one to care fo...

Suicide remains one of the most urgent and complex public health challenges in the United States, with more than 49,000 lives lost in 2023 alone. In this episode, ASTHO’s Director of State Health Policy, JoAnne Deehr, breaks down how states are responding with more targeted, data-driven strategies.  From identifying high-risk populations like veterans, rural communities, and first responders, to i...

Leadership in public health has never been more complex, and navigating conflict is a critical skill for today’s leaders. In this episode, Dawn Morriston, Director of Faculty Advancement in the Office of Faculty Affairs and Leadership Development at UNC School of Medicine, introduces her March 26 session in the new Power Hour webinar series from ASTHO, designed to help supervisors and managers str...

In this episode: what happens after Hill Day wraps, and what’s next for public health funding.  We talk with ASTHO Senior Director for Government Affairs, Jeffrey Ekoma, about the fast-moving FY27 appropriations process and what it means for state and territorial health agencies.  From early signals in the House and Senate to the anticipated release of the president’s budget, Ekoma walks through t...

How do you deliver specialty health care across a 14-island chain spread across the Pacific?  In this episode we talk with Eleanor Cabrera, Chief Strategy Officer of the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.  She’ll tell us how telehealth is helping transform care delivery in the Northern Mariana Islands and explains how virtual services from tel...