Public Health Review Morning Edition

Dr. James McDonald, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Health, explains how the Public Health Infrastructure Grant strengthens the state’s public health workforce. PHIG Partners Web Page PHIG Newsletter  

Truc Taylor, Director of Health Data Analytics at Guidehouse, a founding member of ASTHO’s Innovation Advisory Council, which is a new multisector collaborative of private sector partners to help ASTHO’s membership and leadership stay informed and nimble on emerging topics affecting public health, walks public health leaders through best approaches to AI. Guidehouse: The State of GenAI Report 2024 ASTHO Web Page: Innovation Advisory Council  

Dr. Anna-Michelle McSorley, Assistant Professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut, details the findings of her recent study on quality of life indicators in three U.S. territories and explains the importance of data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; Christina Severin, Director of Public Health Law at ASTHO, discusses her role on the State Health Policy team in this installment of the Get to Know You segment; ASTHO welcomes new member Dr. John Langefeld, Medical Director for the Kentucky Department for Public Health; the Vermont Department of Health Laboratory received the Excellence in Public Health Response award for a significant contribution to the CDC; and registration is open for the second installment in ASTHO’s Essentials of Leadership and Management Series, with the first workshop on strategic communications taking place July 9th.   Study: Health-Related Quality of Life in the US Territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands ASTHO State Health Policy ASTHO’s Public Health Legal Mapping Center PHIG Partners: PHIG Infrastructure Grant John Langefeld, MD  Vermont Department of Health Public Health Laboratory CDC Laboratory Response Network for Chemical Threats   ASTHO Workshop: Ignite, Accelerate, and Activate: Series 2, Session 1: Navigating Difficult Conversations

Dr. Jim McDonald, commissioner of the New York State Department of Health, discusses the State’s Heat Risk and Illness Dashboard and how it can reduce heat related injury; Dr. Tara Kirk Sell, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, previews public health communications topics that will be covered in ASTHO’s INSPIRE Readiness webinar today, Thursday, June 12 at 2 p.m. ET; the Texas Department of State Health Services is leading an initiative to strengthen collaboration between public health and academic health departments; and ASTHO member Dr. Ralph Alvarado, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health, was a panelist at the Age-Friendly Ecosystem Summit, where he discussed the importance of effective public health messaging.  New York State Department of Health Heat Risk and Illness Dashboard News Release: New York State Department of Health Launches Interactive Heat Risk and Illness Dashboard ASTHO Webinar: INSPIRE: Readiness - Tackling Public Health Communication Conundrums: Rumors and Public Trust  ASTHO Blog: Public Health and Academic Leaders Unite Through Texas Consortium Trust for America's Health and John A. Harford Foundation: The Age-Friendly Ecosystem Summit  

Liz Hamel, Vice President and Director of Public Opinion and Survey Research at KFF, discusses KFF’s latest KFF Tracking Poll on Information and Trust; Tina Tan, State Epidemiologist at the New Jersey Department of Health, tells us about the Protect Me With 3+ program that aims to educate adolescents about the importance of vaccinations; and an ASTHO webinar on Thursday, June 12 at 2 p.m. ET will be a vital conversation on protecting public health and building trust. KFF Web Page: KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust – The Public’s Views on Measles Outbreaks and Misinformation Protect Me With 3+ Program Web Page Protect Me With 3+ Program Web Page: NJ Students Recognized for Excellence in 13th Annual Vaccine Awareness Contest ASTHO Webinar Web Page: INSPIRE – Readiness - Tackling Public Health Communication Conundrums: Rumors and Public Trust ATSHO Web Page: Subscribe  

Andy Baker-White, ASTHO Senior Director for State Health Policy, is the first member of ASTHO’s State Health Policy team to be featured in ASTHO’s Get To Know You Segment; Ken Harrison, Workforce Development Director with the Alabama Department of Public Health, explains the Friendly Face Fridays initiative and how it is helping their workforce; an ASTHO blog article focuses on how Hillsborough County, the Florida Department of Health, and the University of South Florida came together to focus on workforce development; and ASTHO's STAR Center offers resources and tools to help state and territorial health agencies modernize and strengthen administrative and organizational capacities. ASTHO Web Page: State Health Policy ASTHO Blog Article: Academic Health Partnership Prioritizes Workforce Development in Florida ASTHO Web Page: State and Territorial Administrative Readiness (STAR) Center  

Claire Hannan, Executive Director of the Association of Immunization Managers, details AIM’s 2024 Annual Report as they celebrate 25 years in existence; Sara Bell, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Public Health Systems and Planning, tells us how a new ASTHO resource can help your team with internal communications; an ASTHO webinar on Thursday, July 10 at 2 p.m. ET will aim to teach you how to clearly and effectively communicate public health data; and ASTHO has a crisis communcations hub with trainings, videos, and additional resources. Association of Immunization Managers Web Page: AIM 2024 Annual Report ASTHO Blog Article: Field-Tested-Strategies for Effective Communication in Public Health ASTHO Webinar: INSPIRE – Readiness - Communicating About Data and Surveillance During Infectious Disease Emergencies ASTHO Web Page: Public Health & Crisis Communications Resource Hub  

Nate Weed, Chief of Resiliency and Health Security at the Washington State Department of Health, discusses a conversation at the 2025 Preparedness Summit between Directors of Public Health Preparedness, the CDC, and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response facilitated by ASTHO; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, tells us about all the public health happenings from Washington D.C.; on Wednesday, July 9 at 2 p.m. ET the second installment in ASTHO’s Essentials of Leadership and Management series will happen; and ASTHO has a free e-learning opportunity to allow your organization to better utilize the STRETCH framework. 2025 Preparedness Summit Web Page ASTHO Web Page: Legislative Alerts ASTHO Legislative Alert: White House Releases Additional FY26 Budget Materials ASTHO Webinar: Ignite, Accelerate, and Activate: Series 2, Session 1: Navigating Difficult Conversations ASTHO Web Page: Tools to Operationalize Equity Utilizing the STRETCH Framework  

Melissa Magstadt, Secretary of Health for South Dakota and an ASTHO Member, explains the state’s first-in-the-nation anonymous naloxone kit distribution program; Colton Anderson, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Public Health Infrastructure and Improvement, tells us about ASTHO’s Quality Advisory Group; an ASTHO webinar scheduled for June 12 aims to help public health practitioners tell the story of public health; and Dr. Broke Cunningham, an ASTHO Member and the Commissioner of Health for the Minnesota Department of Health, will speak at the 2025 Minnesota Rural Health Conference. Emily’s Hope News Release: Emily’s Hope and South Dakota agencies team up to make lifesaving naloxone widely available ASTHO Blog Article: Quality Advisory Group Supports Performance Improvement in Health Agencies ASTHO Webinar: INSPIRE – Readiness - Tackling Public Health Communication Conundrums: Rumors and Public Trust Minnesota Rural Health Conference Web Page  

Elizabeth Gunsalus, K-12 Education and Outreach Project Manager at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, explains how the department’s Mobile Lab Experience has been beneficial; Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO Chief Medical Officer, spoke at a recent Trust for America’s Health media briefing focused on the most recent Pain in the Nation Report; the Connecticut Tumor Registry marks its 90th anniversary; and Elizabeth Hertel, ASTHO Member and the Director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, recently gave the commencement address for the Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine graduation ceremony. Kansas Department of Health and Environment Web Page: Mobile Lab Experience Trust for America’s Health Web Page: Pain in the Nation 2025 – The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths NAACCR 2025 Annual Conference Web Page Michigan State University Class of 2025 Commencement Web Page