In this episode, health leaders from Iowa, Maine and Mississippi share their strategies for revitalizing rural healthcare. We hear excerpts from an ASTHO media briefing featuring ASTHO members as they address the urgent challenges facing millions of rural Americans, including healthcare provider shortages, transportation inadequacies, and significant health disparities. The discussion highlights collaborative, evidence-based initiatives designed to ensure the long-term sustainability and quality of rural care.
ASTHO Deskside Media Briefing on Rural HealthFrom Policy to Practice: Supporting Brain Health and Caregiving at the State Level WebinarFunding & Collaboration Opportunities
Utah’s Data Modernization Director, Nicole Yerkes, shares how the state is using PHIG funding to advance a unified, future-ready public health data system. She discusses innovations like AI-assisted analysis, real-time lab data exchange, and the power of cross-agency collaboration through Utah’s Data Modernization Council. Yerkes also highlights the importance of academic partnerships and sustainable funding to ensure modernization efforts endure and evolve.
Public health is at a crossroads. In this episode, Lillian Shirley and Itta Johnson from Public Consulting Group discuss how adaptive leadership can help rebuild trust, strengthen community partnerships, and drive meaningful change across systems. Drawing from real-world initiatives they share practical insights on leading with empathy, collaboration, and purpose in today’s complex public health landscape.
Dr. Susan Kansagra, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer at ASTHO, shares an update on rising RSV activity and how states are tracking trends during the federal shutdown. She highlights new tools that protect infants, including maternal vaccines and monoclonal antibodies, and explains how public health and birthing hospitals are partnering to expand access through the Vaccines for Children program. Early results show increased hospital enrollment and fewer RSV related hospitalizations among infants.
https://www.astho.org/topic/report/aligning-strategic-plans-across-health-aging-
dementia/
On today’s Best Of PHRME episode, ASTHO revisits an interview with Dr. Jennifer Layden, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President for Population Health and Innovation, who discusses how states are advancing data modernization and building creative partnerships to strengthen public health. The episode also highlights new research from the University of Michigan and Apple examining how noise pollution impacts hearing and cardiovascular health, along with a look at Colorado’s resilience framework that supports statewide preparedness and response.
In today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, Jade Ramsdell, performance improvement director with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), shares how KDHE is using the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) to strengthen foundational public health capabilities across the state. This includes investing in its public health workforce and data modernization.
This work is supported by funds made available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, through OE22-2203: Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems grant. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
On today's 'Best Of PHRME' episode, ASTHO revisits an interview with Dan Edney, ASTHO member and state health officer with the Mississippi Department of Health, who explains what the state is doing to meet the public health needs of rural communities across the state. This episode also features a segment with Shirley Orr, executive director of the Association of Public Health Nurses and lead speaker for ASTHO's Public Health Nursing Workforce Learning Lab series, who discusses what motivates nurses to enter the public health field. The fifth and final webinar in the series is scheduled for Nov. 19 at 3 p.m. ET.
ASTHO Public Health Nursing Workforce Learning Lab
Sustaining Accreditation Through Smart Documentation Systems
Jim Daniel, Public Health Leader for State and Local Government at Amazon Web Services, examines AI usage in public health.
HIMSS Web Page: Innovative Approaches to Public Health: Generative AI as a Transformative Tool
AWS Web Page: Scalable intelligent document processing using Amazon Bedrock
ASTHO Web Page: Innovation Advisory Council
Lisa Bari, Vice President of Policy and Partnerships at Innovaccer, shares how public health departments can become better prepared to use AI by addressing their underlying data infrastructure; Angela Davis, Project Coordinator with the Montana Office of Rural Health and Area Health Education Center at Montana State University, explains how they developed a statewide AmeriCorps program grounded in health to address the population health needs of the highly rural state; a new ASTHO State Health Policy Update describes the legislative changes taking place across the country as a result of recent changes to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP); and on Wednesday, November 19th, ASTHO will close out its Public Health Nursing Learning Lab Series with a session on Public Health Nursing Workforce Culture.
Innovaccer: How State and Local Public Health Leaders can Promote AI and Data Governance
ASTHO Health Policy Update: States Seek Policy Guidance Beyond ACIP Vaccine Recommendations
ASTHO Webinar: Public Health Nursing Workforce Learning Lab - A Series
Jeffrey Eason, Director of the Office of Communicable Diseases at the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, explains how his department is working to prevent transmission of measles during the state's largest outbreak in 30 years; Dr. C. William Keck, former Director of the Akron City Health Department and professor emeritus of community health sciences and family medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University, shares how academic health department partnerships can benefit jurisdictions across the country; tomorrow, October 30th at 4:00 p.m. ET ASTHO will host an Insight and Inspiration webinar on finding the clarity to lead with intent; and November 12th at 2:00 p.m. ET is the final webinar in ASTHO and PHF's joint webinar series on academic health department partnerships, providing participants with the opportunity to ask any questions they may have.
Utah DHHS: 2025 Measles Response
PHF Web Page: Academic Health Departments: Core Concepts
ASTHO Webinar: Insight & Inspiration: Finding the Clarity to Lead with Intent
ASTHO Webinar: Ask Me Anything: Academic Health Department Partnerships
Dr. Novneet Sahoo, Deputy Commissioner for Public Health at the New Jersey Department of Health, discusses his state's multi-pronged strategy to improve vaccine access and address vaccine confidence in response to a national rise in pediatric flu deaths; Thaddeus Pham, Viral Hepatitis Prevention Coordinator at the Hawaii Department of Health, explains what the state has accomplished through HEP FREE 2030, Hawaii's initiative to eliminate Hepatitis B and C by the year 2030; on Wednesday, October 29th at 3:00 p.m. ET, ASTHO will host part one of a two-part webinar series on the accomplishments of various jurisdictions in their preparedness and response tactics during extreme weather events; and a new ASTHO report can help jurisdictions reduce overdose-related harms and support the communities affected by it.
NJ.com: Pediatric flu deaths reach 15-year high. Get your shot now, officials urge.
HEP FREE 2030: The Hawai'i Hepatitis Elimination Strategy 2020-2030
Michelle Hale, Preparedness Program Director with the Office of Preparedness and Response at the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, shares what her state learned about responding to critical public health challenges amid a surge of wildfires in the state; Catherine Murphy, Senior Analyst of Government Affairs at ASTHO, discusses the federal health policy update she authored on notable legislative priorities for the end of the year; ASTHO's PH-HERO Workforce Resource Center provides resources to address moral injury, burnout, resilience, and retention for public health agency leaders and team members; and ASTHO's Legislative Alerts will ensure you don't miss any legislative or policy movements that affect public health.
ASTHO Web Page: Public Health Preparedness
ASTHO Health Policy Update: Health Legislative Priorities for the Remainder of 2025
ASTHO Web Page: PH-HERO Workforce Resource Center
ASTHO Web Page: Legislative Alerts
Alfarena McGinty, Marion County Coroner in Indianapolis, Indiana, explains how her department's investment in Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) has improved the efficiency and interoperability of timely mortality data; Amanda Jones, Data Modernization Director at the Vermont Department of Health, discusses why her department created a Data Modernization Advisory Committee to promote cultural change and foster excitement around new technologies; ASTHO is now accepting applications from state health agency staff and levels of maternal care leaders for a community of practice to address maternal care challenges; and today, October 24th, is the deadline to apply to participate in ASTHO's success story discussions on preventing adverse childhood experiences.
CDC Foundation: Resources for MDI Offices and IT Developers
ASTHO Report: Accelerating Data Exchange in Public Health: Insights from Public Health FHIR Pilots
ASTHO Blog: Creating Shared Vision and Governance for Data Modernization in Vermont
ASTHO Web Page: Bridging Barriers in Maternal Health Access Community of Practice
Dr. Manisha Juthani, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, joins the show for the first time as ASTHO's president to discuss her plans for the new term; Dr. Karen Hacker, health policy fellow at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, co-authored an article for the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice with Dr. Susan Kansagra, Chief Medical Officer at ASTHO, Chrissie Juliano with Big Cities Health Coalition, and Lori Freeman with the National Association of County and City Health Officials, about the way forward for state and local public health; on October 27th at 2:00 p.m. ET, ASTHO and the Public Health Foundation (PHF) will host a webinar about academic health department partnerships in Vermont; and on Wednesday, November 12th, ASTHO and PHF will hold an interactive Q&A session for their final webinar in the academic health department partnership series.
JPHMP Article: Where Do We Go From Here? The Way Forward for State and Local Public Health
ASTHO Webinar: Strengthening Academic Health Department Partnerships for Student Success in Vermont
ASTHO Webinar: Ask Me Anything: Academic Health Department Partnerships
ASTHO President Dr. Scott Harris, State Health Officer with the Alabama Department of Public Health, reflects on his time as president as he closes out his term; Dr. Susan Kansagra, Chief Medical Officer at ASTHO, served as a panelist during a press briefing for Trust for America's Health (TFAH) on chronic disease prevention and obesity, alongside TFAH President and CEO Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, TFAH Director of Strategic Communications and Policy Research Rhea Farberman, and Megan Lott with the Duke University Global Health Institute; on Wednesday, October 29th at 3:00 p.m. ET, ASTHO will host a webinar on preparedness and response tactics to use during extreme weather events; and today, October 22nd at 3:00 p.m. ET, ASTHO will host session four of the Public Health Nursing Workforce Learning Lab Series.
TFAH: State of Obesity Report 2025: Better Policies for a Healthier America
ASTHO Webinar: Public Health Nursing Workforce Learning Lab - A Series
In today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, Amy Ferris, Chief Financial Officer at the Washington State Department of Health, shares how her department is using the Public Health Infrastructure Grant to centralize its grant management system.
Helen Linda, Public Health Workforce Development Coordinator at the Vermont Department of Health, explains the value of Academic Health Departments and shares how she worked with the Public Health Foundation to assess the current state of her agency's experiential learning environment; Emman Parian, Immunization Program Manager for the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation of the Northern Mariana Islands, discusses his recent ASTHO article about how relationships are at the heart of public health; on October 30th, ASTHO will host an Insight & Inspiration webinar on how to find the clarity to lead with intent; and stay current on Public Health Infrastructure Grant deadlines, events, opportunities and more by subscribing to the PHIG National Partners Connections newsletter.
ASTHO Webinar: Strengthening Academic Health Department Partnerships for Student Success in Vermont
ASTHO Blog: For Emman Parian, Strong Partnerships Are at the Heart of Public Health
ASTHO Webinar: Insight & Inspiration: Finding the Clarity to Lead with Intent
Francesca Provenzano, Public Health Section Chief of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response with the Connecticut Department of Public Health, discusses themes and insights from her term as Chair of ASTHO's Director of Public Health Preparedness Peer Network; Dr. Sara Collins, Senior Scholar for Expanding Coverage and Access and Tracking Health System Performance at The Commonwealth Fund, walks through some of the trends found in the 2025 Scorecard on State Health System Performance; ASTHO President Dr. Scott Harris, State Health Officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health, was recently quoted in a story for CNN about the record-breaking number of measles cases across the country; and on Wednesday, October 22nd, ASTHO will host session four of the Public Health Nursing Workforce Learning Lab series with a focus on leveraging partnerships.
The Commonwealth Fund: 2025 Scorecard on State Health System Performance
CNN: Measles outbreaks across the US continue to add to record case count
ASTHO Webinar: Public Health Nursing Workforce Learning Lab - A Series
Amelia Poulin, Assistant Director of Emerging Infectious Disease at ASTHO, discusses how she was recently recognized as an honoree of de Beaumont Foundation's 40 under 40 in Public Health award; Christina Severin, Director of Public Health Law at ASTHO, breaks down her recent Health Policy Update, which covers key case decisions from the Supreme Court's last term; ASTHO and the Public Health Foundation will host a webinar on academic health department partnerships on Monday, October 27th; and ASTHO is looking for health agency leaders and program staff that have strengthened their capacity to prevent mental health-related harms to apply to participate in discussions that will shape future strategies and drive impact.
de Beaumont Foundation: 40 Under 40 in Public Health
ASTHO Health Policy Update: Public Health Litigation Round-Up
Rachel Lehman, Acting Director of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR)'s Technical Resources Assistance Center and Information Exchange (TRACIE), celebrates 10 years of the center's existence and discusses how it provides states and territories with timely information and technical assistance; Peter Orton, Director of Media Design at the Institute for Vaccine Safety at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, explains the importance of storytelling in public health, and shares how an ASTHO blog on the subject can help guide understanding and practice; ASTHO is now accepting applications for a new Community of Practice focused on Maternal Health Access; and subscribe to Public Health Review Morning Edition to make sure you never miss an important update.
HHS.gov: WELCOME TO ASPR TRACIE
ASTHO Blog: The Art (and Science) of Storytelling in Public Health
ASTHO Web Page: Bridging Barriers in Maternal Health Access Community of Practice
ASTHO Newscast: Subscribe to Public Health Review Morning Edition