Erin Penniston, Chief of Staff of Public Health Services at the Maryland Department of Health, describes how ASTHO’s Peer Assessment Program helped her state’s health department strengthen its administrative infrastructure; Kelsey Tillema, Senior Analyst at ASTHO, shares key takeaways from ASTHO’s Strengthening Administrative Preparedness in Public Health Agencies webinar; the highlights from ASTHO’s recent INSPIRE: Readiness webinar on regional data ecosystems are available online now; and a study published in the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice revealed new opportunities for aligning State Health Improvement, Aging, and Dementia Plans. 

ASTHO STAR Center: Peer Assessment Program

ASTHO Blog: Four Strategies to Advance Administrative Preparedness in Public Health

ASTHO Web Page: Highlights from INSPIRE: Readiness - Building a Data-Ready Ecosystem for Public Health Response

Journal of Public Health Management & Practice: Bridging Silos: Aligning State Health Improvement, Aging, and Dementia Plans

Dr. Brooke Cunningham, ASTHO Member and the Commissioner of Health for the Minnesota Department of Health, discusses how her department is using the Public Health Infrastructure Grant.

PHIG Partners Web Page

PHIG Newsletter

Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO Chief Medical Officer, outlines the recent recall of Bicillin; Marie Stratton, Overdose Data to Action Program Manager at the Maryland Department of Health, explains how ASTHO’s technical assistance helped with the department’s OD2A funds; applications are now open for ASTHO’s Developing Executive Leaders in Public Health program; and an ASTHO Brief explains how you can sustain community engagement infrastructure through state public health programming.

ASTHO Web Page: Syphilis

ASTHO Web Page: Health Equity in Overdose Data to Action

ASTHO Web Page: Developing Executive Leaders in Public Health

ASTHO Brief: Sustaining Community Engagement Infrastructure Through State Public Health Programming

Kathy Jorgensen, member of the Board of Directors for the National Alliance of State Animal and Agricultural Emergency Programs, explains why it’s essential to account for animals in all emergency planning; Jeffrey Ekoma, Senior Director of Government Affairs at ASTHO, discusses HHS nominations, recissions, and more news from Capitol Hill in this week’s View From Washington D.C. report; a new ASTHO report assesses capacity gaps in the radiation readiness workforce; and Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Chief Medical Executive at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, was a guest speaker this month for the Michigan State Medical Society, where she updated physician leaders on health priorities.  

National Alliance of State Animal and Agricultural Emergency Programs

ASTHO Report: Assessing Capacity Gaps in the Radiation Readiness Workforce

MSMS and MDHHS Join Forces to Keep Physicians Informed: Natasha Bagdasarian, MD, on Key Health Priorities

Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, ASTHO member and Chief Medical Executive for the State of Michigan, explains how Michigan’s multifaceted approach has reduced overdose deaths across the state; Heidi Westermann, Director of Public Health, Data Modernization and Informatics at ASTHO, shares how ASTHO’s new Data Modernization Primer and Tactical Guides can help public health departments improve data modernization efforts by giving them a place to start; Dr. Jewel Mullen, ASTHO alum and Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, earned the W. Neal Kocurek Health Advocacy Award from the People’s Community Clinic for outstanding leadership and dedication to health equity; Dr. Ngozi Ezike, ASTHO alum and President and CEO of Sinai Chicago, will be a speaker at the upcoming 2025 TEDxArlington Heights “Under the Surface” Conference; and ASTHO will host the third session of the Accelerate series in the Ignite, Accelerate, and Activate workshop on August 14th, discussing accountability and feedback.     

Bagdasarian Op-Ed: We must work to keep overdose deaths down in Michigan

ASTHO Resource: Data Modernization Primer and Tactical Guides

People's Community Clinic: 2025 There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch - Honoring Dr. Jewel Mullen

TEDxArlington Heights 

ASTHO Webinar: Ignite, Accelerate, and Activate: Series 2, Session 3: Accountability, Performance, Feedback

Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, epidemiologist and CEO of Your Local Epidemiologist, addresses the intersection between health and politics and provides words of encouragement to her fellow colleagues in public health; Grace Lee, Senior Analyst at ASTHO, describes a recent ASTHO blog article that dives into how strategic public health messaging can make it more approachable for communities; and a new ASTHO brief dives into how to cultivate a culture of community and belonging in the workplace. 

Your Local Epidemiologist

ASTHO Blog: Strategic Public Health Messaging Drives Change

ASTHO Brief: Cultivating a Culture of Community and Belonging in the Workplace

Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, epidemiologist and CEO of Your Local Epidemiologist, shares how her public health newsletter helps to educate readers about the policies and science impacting public health today; Tracy Gruber, Executive Director of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, explains how the state’s new behavioral health commission works to connect its fragmented mental health infrastructure; ASTHO will host a webinar on Wednesday, July 30th, to teach participants how to navigate the new suicide prevention infrastructure legal maps; and a new ASTHO resource can help jurisdictions promote public health and avoid adverse childhood experiences by prioritizing economic support policies. 

Your Local Epidemiologist

Utah Behavioral Health Master Plan

ASTHO Webinar: State and Territorial Infrastructure for Suicide Prevention: Exploring New Legal Maps

ASTHO Web Page: Prioritizing Economic Support Policies to Prevent ACEs and Promote Public Health

Ali Maffey, Vice President of Social and Behavioral Health at ASTHO, explains how ASTHO’s new legal map assists with suicide prevention infrastructure; Noell Stone, Practicum and Capstone Director at the University of New Mexico’s College of Population Health, shares why two of New Mexico’s universities developed a unified framework for applied public health training; ASTHO is now accepting applications for its DELPH program; ASTHO member Dr. Brooke Cunningham of Minnesota and ASTHO alumni Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman of Maryland and Paula Nickelson of Missouri were announced as new board members of the Public Health Accreditation Board; and a new ASTHO blog article describes a recent assessment of public health data aimed at better understanding the health needs of people with disabilities. 

ASTHO Web Page: New ASTHO Legal Map Illuminates State and Territorial Suicide Prevention Infrastructure

ASTHO Webinar: State and Territorial Infrastructure for Suicide Prevention: Exploring New Legal Maps

University of New Mexico: New Mexico Universities Join Forces to Bolster Public Health Training

ASTHO Leadership Development

Public Health Accreditation Board: PHAB Announces 2025-26 Board of Directors

ASTHO Blog: Designing With, Not For: Stakeholder-Centered Approaches to Disability Health Data

Dr. Kris Mork, Chief Data Officer for Leidos’ Health & Civil Sector, explains how Leidos is modernizing Medicaid.

Leidos Web Page: Leidos awarded Medicaid Enterprise Systems Integrator contract

Leidos Web Page: Modernizing CDC's information technology to meet growing public health needs

ASTHO Web Page: Innovation Advisory Council

Catherine Murphy, Analyst of Government Affairs at ASTHO, describes the impact of potential cuts to federally funded public health preparedness programs in a new ASTHO Federal Health Policy Update; Monique Farmer, President of Avant Solutions, shares what she’ll be discussing in today’s ASTHO webinar on public health communication strategies; the highlights from ASTHO’s recent INSPIRE: Readiness webinar on rumors and public trust are available online now; and Sheila Sjolander, Interim Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, is welcomed as ASTHO’s newest member. 

ASTHO Federal Health Policy Update: Federal Preparedness Programs Support Health Departments

ASTHO Webinar: Enhancing Public Health Communication: Tools for Engagement & Visibility

ASTHO Web Page: Highlights from INSPIRE: Readiness - Tackling Public Health Communication Conundrums: Rumors and Public Trust

Sheila Sjolander Bio