For U.S. territories and freely associated states in the Pacific, climate change is a daily reality. Today, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Environmental Health Shelbi Davis talks about how these island communities are navigating some of the most severe climate-related health risks in the world. From intensifying typhoons in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands to devastating flooding from little-known Kona lows in Hawaii, Davis explains how increasingly frequent and extreme weather events are straining already limited infrastructure and public health systems. Geographic isolation, workforce shortages, and resource constraints only compound the challenge.
About Environmental Public Health | ASTHO

PH-HERO | ASTHO

Much of the data public health leaders need already exists, but it just isn’t accessible as it could be. Today, we’ll hear about a new platform aiming to unlock the full potential of population health data. Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO past president and a senior fellow at the Yale School of Public Health tells us about PopHIVE, or the Population Health Information Visualization Exchange. Born out of frontline frustration during COVID-19, PopHIVE brings together de-identified data from across healthcare, public health, and even nontraditional sources like Google search trends and home monitoring devices, into one open, interactive tool. The goal: to give state and local leaders real-time, actionable insights without the administrative burden of navigating fragmented systems. Later Dr. Jen Layden, Senior Vice President, Population Health & Innovation at ASTHO will talk about other data sharing, public-private partnerships, and tools like PopHIVE, that are improving early detection of threats, and empowering public health decision-makers before the next crisis begins.

PopHIVE Health Agency/Organization Engagement Sessions Registration

Recent HHS Leadership Changes That Impact Public Health | ASTHO

Public Health Infrastructure Grant: Resources & Impact - PHIG

Rural communities face some of the most complex and often overlooked public health challenges. Today, Melanie Ramsey, deputy director of CDC’s Office of Rural Health, discusses how a new national effort is working to close those gaps. The Rural Health Academy is a growing initiative designed to strengthen the capacity of state and local health leaders. Ramsey will share how the Academy is fostering peer-to-peer learning, connecting federal and state partners, and equipping leaders with practical tools to better serve rural populations. Some states are exploring creative solutions like housing incentives for health workers, while new federal coordination efforts aim to align strategy and funding across agencies. Ramsey also highlights CDC’s Rural Public Health Training Plan, a free, self-paced program built to deliver real-world, scenario-based training to anyone working in rural health.

National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network | Home

About the Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke | Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke | CDC

Project Firstline | Project Firstline | CDC

Rural Health Mapping ToolRural Health Science Tips | Rural Health | CDC

Rural Public Health Training Plan - CDC TRAIN - an affiliate of the TRAIN Learning Network powered by the Public Health Foundation

Rural Public Health | Rural Health | CDC

ASTHO Policy Institute Lunch & Learn Series: Modernizing and Strengthening Data For STI Prevention

Funding & Collaboration Opportunities | ASTHO

Cyberattacks aren’t just an IT problem, they’re a potential public health emergency. ASTHO Senior Analyst for Preparedness, Maggie Nilz, explains how cyber disruptions are reshaping the foundation of public health systems. She explains how increasingly interconnected digital infrastructure has made core health functions more vulnerable, which raises the risk of things like delayed outbreak detection and interrupted lab reporting. As cyber threats surge and federal policy shifts, states are beginning to treat cyber incidents like hurricanes or pandemics, building coordinated response frameworks and integrating cybersecurity into emergency planning.
State Policy Trends in Cybersecurity and Public Health Preparedness | ASTHO

Thriving Under Pressure: Building Resilient Dialysis Systems and Teams

When overdose cases suddenly spike, every second counts. In this episode, Jessica Pough, director of overdose preparedness and response at ASTHO, talks about a new tool designed to help communities prepare before crisis hits. The “Overdose Spike Preparedness Exercise: Tabletop in a Box” gives state and local agencies a structured, customizable way to simulate real-world overdose surge scenarios. From identifying spikes and coordinating across partners to making high-stakes decisions with limited information, the exercise helps teams practice what it takes to respond effectively.

Overdose Spike Preparedness Exercise Tabletop in a Box | ASTHO

ASTHO Policy Institute Lunch & Learn Series: Modernizing and Strengthening Data For STI Prevention

Subscribe | ASTHO

Strong leaders don’t just appear, they’re developed. In this episode, Joshua Allen, leadership training Director for the South Carolina Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Organizational Development, talks about how targeted supervisor training and mentorship programs are reshaping workforce culture in public health. Born out of a clear need to better prepare new supervisors, Allen’s team built a hands-on training program focused on real-world skills, like communication and conflict resolution, and strategic planning and burnout prevention. Paired with a structured mentorship initiative for new hires, the approach is already delivering results.

Home | Public Health Careers.org

Public Health Leadership Starts in the Classroom | ASTHO

Demonstrating the Impact of School-Based Health Centers | Key Measures That Highlight ROI | ASTHO

What does it take to build and sustain a strong public health workforce in uncertain times? In this episode Kirsten Aird, public health director for Oregon’s Multnomah County, explores how strategic investments are strengthening workforce capacity, stability, and community impact. Aird breaks down how PHIG funding is being used to support professional development, create staff-led communities of practice, and tackle long-standing hiring challenges, including restoring leadership continuity after years of vacancies. She also highlights the critical role of “behind-the-scenes” infrastructure like HR, finance, and operations, in enabling frontline public health work.

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

Public health data modernization isn’t a quick fix, it’s a multi-decade transformation. In this episode, ASTHO Senior Vice President for Population Health and Innovation, Jen Layden talks about the real progress happening across the country and the persistent challenges that remain. Drawing from insights at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, or HIMSS, conference, Dr. Layden highlights key advancements like the expansion of electronic case reporting, improved syndromic surveillance, and ongoing efforts to modernize vital statistics systems. But she’s clear: sustaining this progress requires more than just technology. It demands stronger policy frameworks, a skilled workforce, and new ways of working across sectors.

Breaking Silos, Building Success: A New Era of Policy, Funding, and Partnerships

Driving Impact with Flexible Funding

ASTHO Policy Institute Lunch & Learn Series: Modernizing and Strengthening Data For STI Prevention