Association of State and Territorial Health Officials


The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials represents the public health agencies of all 50 states in the United States, the District of Columbia, the five U.S. territories, and the three freely associated states. ASTHO members, the chief health officials in each of these jurisdictions, formulate and influence public health policy and work to protect and promote good health in the populations they serve.

Purpose

ASTHO assists state health agencies by collecting and disseminating promising public health practices, facilitating or directly providing technical assistance, and providing opportunities for state health agency staff to learn from each other.

Vision

Healthy people thriving in a nation free of preventable illness and injury.

Mission

To transform public health within states and territories to help members dramatically improve health and wellness.

History

The origin of health officials from the states getting together to discuss matters of public health concern that spanned state boundaries is the organization and first meeting of the Sanitary Council of the Mississippi Valley in 1879, a meeting to address limiting the spread of yellow fever and cholera outbreaks. In 1903, the U.S. Surgeon General began convening an annual meeting of state health officers to discuss controlling yellow fever and other diseases prevalent at the time. After the Social Security Act of 1935 specified appropriations to states for the purpose of public health, state public health officers saw the need for a more formal organization, leading to the incorporation of ASTHO on March 23, 1942.

Governance

ASTHO is governed by a board of directors comprised by five executive officers and ten regional representatives, as well as four nonvoting, ex-officio members representing important constituents. The board receives input from the following committees, most of which include a mix of state health officials, state health agency department heads, and other public health leaders: Senior Deputies Committee, Affiliate Council, Access Policy Committee, eHealth Policy Committee, Environmental Health Policy Committee, Infectious Disease Policy Committee, Performance Policy Committee, Preparedness Policy Committee, Prevention Policy Committee, and Government Relations Policy Committee.

Recent Publications

'''Michael Fraser, PhD, MS, CAE, FCPP
In August 2016, Michael Fraser began serving as the Executive Director of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. He served as CEO of the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs from 2007 to 2013 and deputy executive director of the National Association of County and City Health Officials from 2002 to 2007.