Dr. Kaitlan Baston, ASTHO Alum and the former New Jersey Commissioner of Health, reflects on her time in the role as she steps down; Dr. Hang Lu, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Media at the University of Michigan, discusses an article about the use of Generative AI for vaccine misbelief correction state and territory leaders, ASTHO staff, and more are attending Prep Summit 2025 this week; and ASTHO would like to welcome Dr. Meena Seshamani, the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health, as its newest member.

New Jersey Department of Health News Release: ICYMI: Governor Murphy Announces Jeff Brown to Serve as Acting Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health

ScienceDirect Article: Generative AI for vaccine misbelief correction – Insights from targeting extraversion and pseudoscientific beliefs

Preparedness Summit Web Page

ASTHO Web Page: Maryland | Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, begins the new “Get To Know ASTHO” series, which will highlight different experts at ASTHO; Madison Yerges, Section Supervisor for the Student Education Section at the Center for Foundational Health under the umbrella of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, tells us about an initiative to integrate public health content into classrooms across the state; and you can join ASTHO for a webinar on how to be an effective crisis communicator.

Integrating Public Health Content Into The Classroom Web Page

ASTHO Webinar: Don't Panic! A Panel on How to be an Effective Crisis Communicator

PublicHealthCareers.org

Dr. Kaitlan Baston, former Commissioner of Health for the New Jersey Department of Health and an ASTHO Member, outlines what New Jersey has been doing to address opioids; Kate Murray, Program Supervisor for Long COVID and Post-COVID Conditions at the Minnesota Department of Health, discusses her program and how the work is going; an ASTHO webinar on May 1 focuses on Academic Health Departmetn Partnerships; and ASTHO Member and the New York Commissioner of Health, Dr. James McDonald, will speak at Blooming Day 2025 on May 2.

New Jersey Department of Health News Release: NJ Health Department Announces Waiver to Improve Access to Opioid Treatment Services

New Jersey Department of Health News Release: ICYMI – Governor Murphy Announces Jeff Brown to Serve as Acting Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health

Minnesota Department of Health Web Page: Long COVID Resources and Support

ASTHO Webinar: Pathways to Academic Health Department Partnerships: Successes and Best Practices

Blooming Day 2025 Web Page

Emi Chutaro, Executive Director of the Pacific Island Health Officers Association, explains what she hopes others gain from Pacific Islander Heritage Month; Paul Bonta, Director of Government Relations for the Safe States Alliance, tells us about his organization’s most recent advocacy day; and a new ASTHO blog article highlights recent Congressional hearings focused on key challenges facing older adults.

PIHOA Web Page

National Archives Web Page: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Safe States Alliance Web Page

ASTHO Blog Article: Hearings Spotlight Inflation, Opioids, and Other Challenges Facing Older Adults

ASTHO Web Page: State and Territorial Administrative Readiness (STAR) Center

Dr. Sameer Vohra, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and an ASTHO Member, explains how his state is taking action for youth behavioral health; Aurora GrantWingate, Member and Partner Engagement Manager at the National Association of Community Health Workers, tells us why CHWs are especially important in the island areas; and Dr. Dr. Ayanna Bennett, Director of the District of Columbia Department of Health and an ASTHO Member has been appointed to the Big Cities Health Coalition Board of Directors.

ASTHO Report: Supporting Community Health Workers in Territories and Freely Associated States

Big Cities Health Coalition News Release: BCHC announces 2025-26 board directors and executive officers

ASTHO Web Page: PH-HERO

Adrienne Ammerman, Founder and CEO of Arclet, explains how her platform will help health communicators; Amelia Poulin, ASTHO Assistant Director of Emerging Infectious Disease, breaks down a blog article on what states are doing to combat syphilis and congenital syphilis; and Dr. Robbie Goldstein, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and an ASTHO member, will give the keynote address for the Advances in Global Disease Surveillance event.

Arclet Web Page

ASTHO Blog Article: States Amending Policies to Slow Congenital Syphilis Increases

Advances in Global Disease Surveillance: An Introduction to BEACON Web Page

ASTHO Web Page: Subscribe

Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO Chief Medical Officer, outlines the recommendations from the most recent ACIP meeting; Kathleen Amos, Director of Workforce Development at the Public Health Foundation, explains how Academic Health Department Partnerships can be beneficial; and an upcoming ASTHO webinar focuses on strengthening public health risk communication.

CDC Web Page: ACIP Meeting Information

ASTHO Webinar: Exploring Successful Academic Health Department Partnerships

ASTHO Web Page: Calendar of Events

ASTHO Webinar: Don't Panic! A Panel on How to be an Effective Crisis Communicator

Dr. John Wiessman, Associate Dean for Practice at UNC Chapel Hill, remembers his former mentor, Mary Selecky, who passed away on April 7; Finn Lanning, Youth Tobacco Prevention Coordinator for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, tells us about a successful Take Down Tobacco Day; and ASTHO’s Adrianna Evans contributed to an article that was recently published in Medscape.

Kansas Department of Health and Environment News Release: Resist and the Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition Host Take Down Tobacco Day at the Capitol

Medscape Article: Data Routinely Captured in ED EMRs Can Support People With Disabilities During Public Health Emergencies

ASTHO Web Page: Subscribe

Christy Jones, President and CEO of the Monday Solutions Group, details how leaders can benefit from skill development in preparation for several upcoming ASTHO Ignite Leadership Series webinars; Dr. Allison Arwady, Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC, tells us how data has influenced real change in the fight against opioids; and on Thursday, April 24, ASTHO will host a webinar on the benefits of Successful Academic Health Department Partnerships.

ASTHO Webinar: Performance Management Techniques for Successful Decision-Making

CDC Web Page: CDC Reports Nearly 24% Decline in U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths

ASTHO Webinar: Exploring Successful Academic Health Department Partnerships

ASTHO Web Page: Subscribe

Dr. Allison Arwady, Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC, tells us about historic progress in the field of overdose prevention; Catherine Murphy, ASTHO Governmetn Affairs Analyst, discusses the advocacy effort from ASTHO’s Spring Leadership Forum; and Trust for America’s Health will host a Congressional Briefing on April 23rd that is focused on its Ready or Not 2025 report.

CDC Web Page: CDC Reports Nearly 24% Decline in U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths

ASTHO Blog Article: Strengthening Public Health Advocacy at ASTHO’s Spring Leadership Forum

Trust for America’s Health Web Page: TFAH Congressional Briefing – Ready or Not

ASTHO Public Health Review Morning Edition Episode 882: Harris Testifies on Hill; 2025 TFAH Report