Public Health Policy

ASTHO Names Mississippi's Daniel Edney as 84th President

ASTHO Names Mississippi's Daniel Edney as 84th President

ARLINGTON, Va. – October 21, 2026 -- The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) has named Daniel Edney, MD, state health officer for the Mississippi State Department of Health, as its 84th president. He succeeds Manisha Juthani, MD, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

Edney plans to focus on maternal and infant health and rural health

Edney intends to center his presidency on maternal and infant health, rural health and promoting the work of states and territories. He said the nation's public health leaders face increasingly complex challenges and that he will work with colleagues on policies and partnerships to support a healthier nation.

Truth Initiative Names Harvard's Vaughan Rees Chief Research Officer

Truth Initiative Names Harvard's Vaughan Rees Chief Research Officer

Washington – October 05, 2026 -- Truth Initiative, the largest U.S. nonprofit focused on nicotine addiction prevention, has named Dr. Vaughan Rees as Chief Research Officer effective October 27, succeeding Dr. Barbara Schillo.

Harvard tobacco control director takes over Schroeder Institute research arm

Rees joins from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he has directed the Center for Global Tobacco Control since 2015 and served as Senior Lecturer on Social and Behavioral Sciences. He will lead the Schroeder Institute, Truth Initiative's scientific enterprise, overseeing a research portfolio spanning tobacco and nicotine, addiction science, behavioral health, emerging nicotine products, cannabis and polysubstance use.