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State and territorial health officials are navigating significant uncertainty while working to protect and improve the health of their communities. In this episode, 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, discuss common challenges, and learn from one another. He highlights conversations with CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz about emergency preparedness, public trust, public health infrastructure, and collaboration between federal and state health agencies. Kanter also discusses preparing for leadership transitions in state health departments, helping new leaders get up to speed, and the role ASTHO plays in supporting health officials through challenging times. Public Health Performance Management Solutions ShowcaseFunding & Collaboration Opportunities | ASTHO

States are taking a range of approaches to address youth technology use, from restricting cell phones in schools to regulating social media and pursuing legal action against social media companies. Christina Severin, director of public health law at ASTHO, discusses emerging policy trends, including legislation, executive orders, task forces, and school support resources, the focus of a recent Health Policy Update. She also explains how ongoing litigation is shaping the landscape and what public health professionals should watch as states continue to address the potential impacts of technology and screen time on young people. Using Policy to Promote Healthy Tech Habits for Youth | ASTHO Understanding and Utilizing Public Health Authority for Suicide Prevention Youth Health in Focus | Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) | CDC Funding & Collaboration Opportunities | ASTHO

Building trust in public health starts with transparency, innovation, and a commitment to improving lives. Daniel Edney, Mississippi State Health Officer and new ASTHO president, joins us to discuss how state and territorial health officials can strengthen relationships with their communities, address persistent health challenges, and learn from one another. Edney shares lessons from Mississippi’s efforts to improve maternal and infant health, expand support for rural communities, and develop solutions driven by local needs rather than funding priorities. He also reflects on a major public health achievement: Mississippi’s infant mortality rate declined in 2025 following the state’s declaration of a public health emergency. Edney explains how collaboration, strategic investments, and a renewed focus on the people public health serves can help rebuild trust and save lives. Partner Spotlight: Q&A with Kate Menard on Levels of Maternal Care State Implementation | ASTHO Public Health Performance Management Solutions Showcase Funding & Collaboration Opportunities | ASTHO

Public health leaders are navigating conflicting information, political division, and growing challenges to public trust. In this episode, Manisha Juthani, outgoing ASTHO president and commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, reflects on her term as ASTHO’s president and the importance of effective, nonpartisan public health communications. She discusses strategies for meeting people where they are, communicating across political divides, and helping state and territorial health officials learn from one another. Juthani also highlights Connecticut’s “Protect Who Matters Most” vaccine education campaign and how other states are adapting its approach to reach their own communities. Understanding and Utilizing Public Health Authority for Suicide Prevention Funding & Collaboration Opportunities | ASTHO

Public health agencies are adopting AI faster than many existing policies can keep up, creating new questions around workforce readiness, equity, oversight, and the use of AI in public health-specific workflows. Greg Papillon, senior director for Public Health Partnerships and Innovation at ASTHO, discusses an analysis of 40 AI policies and action plans across 33 jurisdictions and what they reveal about the current state of AI governance. Papillon explains where states are finding common ground, including data protection, security, and human oversight, as well as where important gaps remain. He discusses the need for more guidance around public health uses of AI, training and AI literacy, consumer-facing tools, and the risks of "shadow AI" when employees turn to unapproved tools. The Gap Between State and Territorial AI Policies and Public Health Practice | ASTHO PHDC Public Health SitePublic Health Performance Management Solutions Showcase

States are taking a broader approach to healthy aging, with new policies focused on prevention, dementia awareness, caregiving, and long-term support for older adults. Lana McKinney, senior analyst for State Health Policy at ASTHO, discusses emerging trends in state healthy aging and dementia-related legislation, including new advisory councils, caregiver support programs, public education efforts, and requirements for dementia-capable training across health care, public safety, and direct care settings. She also explains how states are balancing upstream investments that help older adults maintain independence with the safety-net services needed when people experience cognitive or physical decline, and why caregiving is increasingly being recognized as a public health priority. Celebrating Longevity and Supporting Healthy Aging Through Policy | ASTHO Funding & Collaboration Opportunities | ASTHO Power Hour PLUS: Expand Your Impact - Session 2 - Conversations That Move Work Forward Power Hour PLUS: Expand Your Impact | ASTHO

Delaware is bringing health systems, community organizations, faith-based institutions, and clinical partners together through a statewide cardiovascular health learning collaborative. Shebra Hall, chief of the Bureau of Chronic Disease for the Delaware Division of Public Health, and a 2026 graduate of ASTHO’s Developing Executive Leaders in Public Health (DELPH) program, discusses how the collaborative is helping partners share resources, strengthen communication, and address cardiovascular health from clinical and community perspectives. Hall also explains how Delaware Heart Collaborative.org provides a centralized digital home for the network, while emphasizing that technology is only one part of successful collaboration. The relationships among partners, she says, are what ultimately make the work possible. DELPH Magazine | ASTHO Delaware Implements Collaborative Communication Platform for Heart Health | ASTHO Power Hour PLUS: Expand Your Impact - Session 2 - Conversations That Move Work Forward Power Hour PLUS: Expand Your Impact | ASTHO Process Improvement Readiness Assessment Tool | ASTHO

DC Health is taking an enterprise-wide approach to data modernization, bringing staff from across programs, IT, informatics, and analytics together to develop a shared strategy. Santiago Gonzalez-Irizarry, data modernization lead for DC Health, discusses how the agency moved from reactive, disconnected systems exposed during the COVID-19 response toward a coordinated data governance structure and modernization framework. Then, Larissa Pardo, a statistician with DC Health, explains how a four-day strategic planning workshop brought about 40 staff members together to identify common challenges, establish a shared vision, and break down silos. She describes how the process strengthened workforce engagement, built camaraderie, and helped DC Health establish a North Star: getting “the right information to the right people at the right time” to create a healthier DC. 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.  Public Health Infrastructure Grant: Resources & Impact - PHIG

With midterm elections approaching, uncertainty is building around the next phase of the congressional calendar. In this View from Washington D.C., Jeffrey Ekoma, VP of Government Affairs, talks about the latest developments in Washington and what they could mean for health policy and federal funding. He discusses the status of key Health and Human Services nominations, including leadership positions at HHS, ASPR, FDA, the Surgeon General’s office, and SAMHSA. Jeffrey also breaks down the competing scenarios for FY2027 appropriations, including the possibility of a short-term extension, full-year appropriations, or a full-year continuing resolution.

Real-world data could give public health agencies a more complete and timely picture of the health of their communities. Andrew Kress, CEO of HealthVerity, and Tabatha Offutt-Powell, vice president for Public Health Data Modernization and Informatics at ASTHO, discuss the Public Health Data Consortium, a new public-private partnership designed to expand public health access to real-world data.  Kress explains what real-world data includes, how it can support disease surveillance and program measurement, and some of the technical and governance challenges involved in making the data useful while protecting privacy. Offutt-Powell discusses why public health needs a seat at the table in decisions about how real-world data are used and how the data can complement, rather than replace, traditional surveillance systems. They also discuss potential applications in maternal and child health, substance use and overdose, rural health, and chronic disease, as well as how public health agencies can participate in shaping the consortium. Home | PHDC Let Epidemiologists Be Epidemiologists: How Data Modernization Frees Up Staff Time | ASTHO Strengthening Public Health Infrastructure... : Journal of Public Health Management & Practice

Public health departments are facing budget pressures, workforce shortages, and growing demands on their limited capacity. Today, Elysia Gonzales, Investigations and Response Branch Manager; Communicable Disease Epidemiology and Immunization Section; Public Health - Seattle & King County, discusses how her team developed a prioritization framework to help staff determine which infectious disease investigations need immediate attention and which can wait.  She explains how the department adapted an ASTHO framework into a five-tier system, giving staff clearer guidance when multiple cases arrive at once, and how the approach can reduce the pressure to treat everything as urgent. She also shares lessons for other public health agencies, including the importance of clearly defining the problem, getting leadership buy-in, leveraging tools that already exist, and being realistic about what work can be paused or stopped. INSPIRE: Readiness | ASTHO Prioritizing Emerging Infectious Disease Cases and Contacts for Follow-Up | ASTHO What States and Territories Have to Say About National Preparedness | ASTHO Public Health Performance Management Solutions Showcase Funding & Collaboration Opportunities | ASTHO

Maternal health improvements are possible when states, hospitals, and community partners use data to identify the drivers of severe maternal morbidity and target care where it can have the greatest impact. Rachel Sheehan, director of perinatal improvement at Premier, Inc., discusses how patient safety bundles and state perinatal quality collaboratives have helped reduce maternal mortality, while highlighting the challenges that remain in prenatal and postpartum care.  Rachel Sheehan also discusses how states can use rural health transformation investments to expand maternity care access, including through care coordination, virtual care, and data-driven identification of high-risk patients. She explains why sustaining proven interventions, aligning measures across agencies, and strengthening partnerships with community organizations will be critical to improving maternal health and health outcomes for families.

Nutrition during the first years of life can have lasting effects on children's health and development. Meghan Maroney, senior advocacy advisor at Voices for Healthy Kids, an initiative of the American Heart Association, discusses the National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers and its Nourish from the Start initiative, which works to strengthen nutrition security for infants, toddlers, and their caregivers.  Maroney explains how WIC, SNAP, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program support families, and discusses opportunities for states to improve enrollment, reduce administrative barriers, and strengthen coordination across health, human services, childcare, and other systems. She also highlights the importance of engaging parents and caregivers in shaping policies and programs, and shares resources available to state and territorial health agencies working to improve nutrition from the prenatal period through age three. Funding & Collaboration Opportunities | ASTHO CHIP Implementation Efforts at PHIG-Funded Local Health Departments | ASTHO Measles Has Returned To America. We’re No Longer In Containment Mode

Effective public health advocacy starts with understanding how Congress works, building relationships with lawmakers and their staff, and connecting policy and funding decisions to the people and communities they affect. We’ll hear from Catherine Murphy, formerly a Senior Analyst for Government Affairs at ASTHO, who’s had experience on both sides of the table: first as a congressional aide and later as a public health advocate. She’ll tell us about her experience working on Capitol Hill, and what public health professionals should know about engaging with Congress and making their voices heard. Murphy explains why patience is essential in the legislative process, how public health advocates can find common ground across political differences, and why listening to concerns and avoiding assumptions can lead to more productive conversations. She also shares a key lesson for advocates: the most effective stories connect public health funding and policy to tangible programs, people, and outcomes in their communities. Facilitating Connections on Capitol Hill for Public Health Advocacy: Lessons and Reflections | ASTHO Subscribe | ASTHO

Building trust, strengthening the public health workforce, and modernizing the Virginia Department of Health are among the priorities for Cameron Webb, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Health and an ASTHO member. Webb discusses how his background as a physician, health policy leader, community health worker, and federal COVID-19 response official has shaped his approach to leading a state health department. He outlines efforts to improve agency operations, communicate more effectively with communities, embed equity in public health work, and rebuild trust following the COVID-19 pandemic.  Webb also highlights initiatives including nursing home oversight, hepatitis C elimination, a new electronic health record system, rural health transformation, community health worker programs, predictive analytics and AI, and efforts to address maternal mortality.  Hurricane Response and Recovery | ASTHO Subscribe | ASTHO