partner profile

Michael Fraser , PhD , has been executive director of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials ( ASTHO ) since August 2016 . Before joining ASTHO , he spent two decades as a distinguished leader in public health , serving as executive vice president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Medical Society , CEO of the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs , deputy executive director of the National Association of County and City Health Officials and in various positions at the Health Resources and Services Administration and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ). Fraser earned doctoral and master ’ s degrees in sociology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a master ’ s degree in management , strategy and leadership from the Eli Broad School of Business at Michigan State University . He received a BA from Oberlin College in 1991 .

Fraser ’ s many commendations include the Maternal and Child Health Bureau ’ s Director ’ s Award and Association Trends magazine “ Young and Aspiring CEO ” award . In spring 2015 , he was admitted as a Fellow in the College of Physicians of Philadelphia , one of just a handful of non-physician Fellows in the nation ’ s oldest professional society . Fraser currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice and is an ex-officio member of the Public Health Accreditation Board .

WhatareyourprioritiesforyourfirstyearatASTHO ?

Internally , Iwanttopromoteacultureofcollaborationandinclusion , buildingonthediversityofourstaffandtheirexpertiseinvariousareas of public health and association management . Externally , my first priority isstrengtheningASTHOasthe “ home ” forstateandterritorialhealth officials ; we want ASTHO to be the first place these health officials go for information , professional camaraderie and leadership development . This includesourworktoprepareincomingstateandterritorialhealthofficials fortheirnewrolesthroughourStateHealthLeadershipInstitute . My second priority is to become the premier advocate for state and territorial public health programs here in Washington . This will necessitate increasedgrassrootsandgrass-topsadvocacybyourmembersandkey partners . My third priority is to look at the various ASTHO learning

opportunities and capacity-building efforts for our members and their leadership teams to make sure they are aligned , focused on current needs , andmakingadifference .

What stepsarebeing takenbyASTHO andthe publichealthcommunity generally to inform the new administration about the role of state public

healthprogramsandthechallengestheyconfront ?

We are working on several fronts . Informally , we are working to track key nominations and appointments to cabinet and agency positions and sharing information about new administration leaders with our members . It is my hope that we get in to meet with key leaders — especially those at the Department of Health and Human Services and White House — early