2025 CSTE Annual Conference Workshops
Last Updated: January 8, 2025
Registration for the full conference or one-day (Sunday) includes participation in one (1) full-day workshop or two (2) non-concurrent half-day workshops. All workshops have a limited number of available seats, so registration is required to guarantee participation in any workshop. All Suday workshops are listed below in alphabetical order. All workshops will be held in-person in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and all times listed are in Eastern Time (ET).
Annual Conference Committee/Track
Chronic Diseases & Maternal and Child Health
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Half Day | 1:00pm-5:00pm | Chronic Disease Surveillance
Advancing Chronic Disease Epidemiology Practice through Data Equity and Modernization
CSTE Staff Lead: Preksha Malhotra
CSTE will host a half-day workshop focused on enhancing chronic disease epidemiology practice and building capacity within the public health workforce. Workshop attendees will hear from colleagues who are leveraging advanced data practices and using data to address health equity across the complex chronic disease surveillance landscape. Topics may include modernizing traditional technology and surveillance systems for improved usability; interoperability and use of electronic health record (EHR) platforms; innovative approaches utilizing cloud technologies and machine learning and/or artificial intelligence; and reducing health inequities and social determinants of health challenges to improve chronic disease outcomes and population health.
Half Day | 8:00am-12:30pm | MCH Symposium
Grand Rapids to Currents of Change: Navigating the Present and Future of MCH Systems
CSTE Staff Lead: Valerie Goodson
Transform your understanding of MCH data systems in this comprehensive half-day symposium. Whether you’re new to the field or an experienced epidemiologist, you’ll find value in our multi-track approach that covers both foundational concepts and advanced modernization strategies. Engage with real-world STLT case studies, participate in solution-oriented discussions, and connect with colleagues facing similar challenges. Dedicated networking breaks and structured peer-to-peer activities will provide valuable opportunities to build lasting professional relationships with MCH epidemiologists from across the country. Leave equipped with practical tools, innovative strategies, a broader vision for the future of MCH data systems, and an expanded professional network.
- Learn practical applications of core MCH data systems and develop a toolbox of data collection processes, analysis methodologies, and reporting methods
- Explore real-world STLT case studies to identify common challenges, innovative solutions, and best practices for MCH data systems
- Collaboratively develop a vision for MCH data modernization, including emerging technologies and novel approaches to data integration
- Build sustainable professional networks through a guided discussion activity on focused priority MCH epidemiology topics
Environmental Health & Occupational Health
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Full Day | 9:00am-4:00pm | Environmental Health Surveillance Workshop
From Data to Action: Building Capacity and Effective Environmental Surveillance
CSTE Staff Lead: Margaret Thelen
The CSTE Environmental Health Surveillance Workshop is an opportunity to share current practices, discuss emerging hazards, and feature peer learning in applied epidemiology across environmental topics of interest including climate and health, environmental investigations, and emerging issues in environmental health. Workshop attendees will better understand the cross-cutting nature of environmental health and the role applied epidemiologists play in building healthier communities.
The objectives of this workshop are to provide relevant, timely learning and networking opportunities for epidemiologists and public health professionals working with environmental health topics.
Full Day | 9:00am-3:00pm | Occupational Health Surveillance
Surveillance Skills, Stretches, and Strategies
CSTE Staff Lead: Cailyn Lingwall
The 2025 CSTE Occupational Health Surveillance Workshop will focus on highlighting risk factors for occupational injuries and illnesses. The objective of the workshop will be to address regional and national injury and illness trends in the workplace, and to explore how increased and enhanced occupational health surveillance can help reduce occupational risks.
Health Equity and Tribal Epidemiology
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Full Day | 9:00am-4:00pm | Tribal Epidemiology
Strengthening Infectious Disease Surveillance and Response with Sequencing
The goal of the tribal pre-conference workshop is to bring together tribal data and epi professionals to discuss the implementation of the tribal data modernization initiative projects. Further dialogue will be a tribally led discussion of how to leverage the multi-faceted tribal partnerships and data modernization initiatives to build capacity including advancing tribal digital sovereignty.
Health Security, Policy & Law
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Full Day | 9:00am-4:00pm | Disaster Epidemiology
Navigating Needs Assessments and Data Collection During Disasters
CSTE Staff Lead: Andrew Adams
The Disaster Epidemiology Workshop will focus on the use of needs assessments before, during, and after disasters and data collection and collaboration activities. Presentations, discussion, and other activities will work toward the Disaster Epidemiology Subcommittee’s goal of using epidemiology to improve the public’s health before, during, and after a disaster.
Learning Objectives:
- Facilitate collaboration among epidemiologists in the field of disaster epidemiology
- Disseminate information on professional development opportunities to build the field of disaster epidemiology
- Describe best practices from the field on adapting and applying disaster epidemiology principles, tools, resources, and methodologies
Full Day | 9:00am-5:00pm | Public Health Law
Charting the Public Health Law Currents: Building Strong Legal Frameworks for Public Health Officials
CSTE Staff Lead: Sunbal Virk
This hands-on workshop is designed to equip public health professionals, epidemiologists, and public health attorneys with the essential knowledge and practical skills needed to navigate the complex intersection of public health and law. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of key topics such as legal data sharing agreements, legal epidemiology, and strategies for working effectively with your attorneys!
Infectious Diseases
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Full Day | 9:00am-4:00pm | Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD) Workshops
Implementing and Exercising Pathogen Genomic Surveillance for Early Warning and Outbreak Response
CSTE Staff Lead: Abby Hoffman
CSTE will host a full-day workshop on applying pathogen genomic data in the existing public health workforce. Workshop attendees will have the opportunity to engage with colleagues from across the country to learn how to increase their application of genomics – sequencing, analysis, interpretation and visualization – to public health surveillance and outbreak response. The workshop will include panel discussions and an interactive hands-on exercise for participants, during which they will learn how pathogen genomic data is analyzed, visualized, and interpreted for public health action. Best practices and genomic epidemiology resources will also be shared with attendees. Educational materials, and an optional pre-session, will be provided to those with beginner knowledge or those wanting a refresher on AMD/genomic epidemiology.
Full Day | 9:00am-5:00pm | Enteric Disease Workshop
CSTE Staff Lead: Rachael Singer
CSTE, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will host an enteric disease outbreak detection and response workshop for epidemiologists. The purpose of this workshop is to engage in meaningful discussions surrounding methods for detecting, investigating, and controlling foodborne enteric disease outbreaks. For each subtopic, one or two outbreak examples will be presented as case studies. State, Tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) epidemiologists will present and discuss their experiences, challenges, and lessons learned regarding surveillance, outbreak detection, and outbreak response in their jurisdictions. A question-and-answer period will follow each session to allow time for workshop attendees to engage with the panel speakers and each other. Resources for epidemiologists, including training, applications, and tools, will be highlighted throughout presentations and case studies. Presenters and attendees will include CSTE members from STLT health departments and CDC representatives from the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases (DFWED).
Objectives:
- Become familiar with types of foodborne disease outbreaks that occur in the United States including settings and etiologies
- Become familiar with tools and resources that are available to help guide foodborne disease surveillance and outbreak detection and response
Full Day | 9:00am-5:00pm | Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Workshop
CSTE Staff Lead: William Fritch
This workshop aims to share information and foster meaningful discussions on HAI/AR topics, including surveillance, reporting, prevention, and response activities, as well as workforce development and program leadership. Presenters and attendees will include CSTE members, CSTE fellows, HAI/AR Subcommittee leadership, and representatives from CDC and other partner organizations. Agenda items will be tailored to HAI/AR program staff in STLT health departments but others with a stake in the work of HAI/AR programs (e.g., division leadership) are welcome to participate.
Full Day | 9:00am-5:00pm | Infectious Disease Forecasting & Modeling Workshop
CSTE Staff Lead: Ellie Bergren
The Forecasting and Modeling for Public Health Workshop at the 2025 CSTE Annual Conference will explore the utility of forecasting and modeling in public health practice. Join us as we discuss use cases, interpretation of models, leveraging partnerships and analytic tools, and much more. Review how models and forecasts are communicated and apply models to a real-world scenario in a hands-on demonstration. We will dive into groundbreaking forecasting and modeling efforts across the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics (CFA), academia and industry, and state, tribal, local, and territorial agencies. You will hear from jurisdictions and partners involved in innovative forecasting and modeling approaches and learn some practical skills to apply to your own jurisdiction. We welcome open discussion in navigating challenges, successes, and needs in your jurisdiction.
Target audience: Epidemiologists (including State Epidemiologists/Deputies in the morning), data scientists, and all those interested in learning more about the utility and application of modeling and forecasting in public health practice. We recommend that new attendees watch our course on Infectious Disease Modeling 101 for Public Health: https://learn.cste.org/index.php?option=com_splms&view=course&id=142
Full Day | 8:30am-4:30pm | Influenza Workshop
CSTE Staff Lead: Amelia Blumberg
CSTE, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will host an Influenza Surveillance Coordinators Workshop on Sunday, June 8, 2025, as part of the CSTE Annual Conference. This workshop provides a collaborative forum for state, Tribal, local, and territorial health department Influenza Surveillance Coordinators, alongside CDC colleagues, to address current challenges in influenza and other respiratory virus surveillance, with an emphasis on the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 and HPAI. Participants will have the opportunity to share expertise and strengthen relationships and cooperation between influenza programs from health departments around the country. This workshop is open to all registered conference attendees.
Objectives:
- Highlight best practices in applied epidemiology of influenza and other viral respiratory diseases.
- Enhance the epidemiology and informatics competency of public health practitioners.
- Foster opportunities for skill development and knowledge exchange.
- Identify strategies and tools to ensure more efficient and effective analysis, communication, systems thinking, and program planning in prevention, identification, and response to influenza and other respiratory viral diseases in the United States.
Full Day | 9:00am-4:30pm | Legionnaires’ Disease Workshop
CSTE Staff Lead: Akila Simmons
Join us for an engaging and interactive workshop on Legionnaires’ disease, designed to provide a deep dive into the latest public health surveillance techniques, outbreak investigation strategies, and best practices for prevention. This workshop is tailored for public health epidemiologists, environmental health specialists, drinking water professionals, and laboratorians.
Through dynamic presentations, lively group discussions, and collaborative roundtable discussions, participants will have the chance to share experiences, challenges, and lessons learned from the field. We will cover a broad range of topics, from effective water management and outbreak response to emerging research and best practices for Legionella prevention. We’ll explore key findings, address emerging challenges, and identify real-world insights to strengthen public health strategies.
Each session will include an interactive Q&A, providing ample opportunity for participants to engage with expert panelists, and network with fellow professionals. Don’t miss this chance to collaborate, exchange knowledge, and contribute to advancing Legionella prevention and response across the nation!
Half Day | 1:00pm-5:00pm | Syndemic Approaches Workshop
Enhancing Collaboration and Capacity for Syndemic Approaches to HIV, STI, Viral Hepatitis, and Substance Use Surveillance
CSTE Staff Lead: Symone Richardson
The Syndemic Approaches Workshop is intended for HIV, STI, viral hepatitis, and substance use surveillance coordinators and other health department staff involved in or interested in the implementation and evaluation of syndemic approaches. Workshop discussions will 1) examine the current capacity of surveillance programs across various jurisdictions to implement and evaluate syndemic approaches, 2) identify programmatic challenges and technical assistance needs, 3) share best practices and lessons learned, and 4) explore opportunities for guidance, standardization, and collaboration in syndemic approaches.
Full Day | 9:00am-5:00pm | Vaccine Preventable Disease Workshop
CSTE Staff Lead: Rebekah Mathew
CSTE will host its first Vaccine-Preventable Disease Workshop at the 2025 CSTE Annual Conference. The purpose of this workshop is to provide a forum for jurisdictions and CDC to discuss current themes and address challenges in vaccine-preventable diseases. Participants will have the opportunity to share expertise and strengthen relationships between VPD programs from across the country. This workshop is open to all registered conference attendees.
Objectives:
- Identify best practices in applied epidemiology of vaccine-preventable diseases.
- Facilitate skill building opportunities.
- Identify strategies and tools to improve program planning in prevention, identification, and response to vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States.
Half Day | 8:30am-12:00pm | Vector-borne & Zoonotic Diseases Workshop
CSTE Staff Lead: Rachel Radcliffe
The Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases (VBZD) Workshop is a half-day meeting intended to facilitate networking and information sharing among public health staff whose work focuses on VBZD surveillance and capacity and partnership building. A variety of VBZDs will be incorporated into the workshop’s presentations and discussions with topics for 2025 anticipated to include Japanese encephalitis virus, Oropouche virus, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and the use of a One Health approach related to VBZD surveillance and prevention.
Full Day | 9:00am-3:00pm | Wastewater Surveillance
Building a Sustainable Wastewater Surveillance Infrastructure
CSTE Staff Lead: Abby Hoffman
CSTE will host a full day wastewater surveillance epidemiology training workshop at the 2025 CSTE Annual Conference to convene wastewater surveillance epidemiologists from STLT health agencies and CDC to discuss current trends, ethics and emerging issues in wastewater surveillance, share best practices, identify gaps, and discuss ways in which to improve wastewater surveillance. Topics may include wastewater surveillance guidance and toolkits, methods for sampling and testing wastewater, data analysis methods, application of wastewater surveillance for public health action, wastewater surveillance’s role in emergency response and guidance for communicating/interpreting results for diverse audiences.
Injury, Substance Use & Mental Health
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Full Day | 9:00am-4:30pm | Injury Surveillance Workshop
Guidance from the Field
CSTE Staff Lead: Danielle Boyd
This full-day workshop will lead participants through current injury surveillance issues and provide ample time for participants to engage with their peers regarding their own experiences. Participants can expect to spend time in small group discussion sharing examples from their own jurisdictions related to data sharing considerations, dissemination methods, community partner engagement experiences, and more best practices.
A portion of the day will feature presentations and roundtable discussion from peers sharing their findings on emerging concerns such as recommended ICD-10-CM codes needed to conduct surveillance of self-harm, adverse childhood experiences, and other pertinent injury topics.
The day will conclude with time for networking and building connections with your peers.
This workshop is open to all conference attendees. Advanced registration is highly encouraged, as on-site admission cannot be guaranteed. Priority will be given to CSTE Injury Surveillance Workgroup members.
Half Day | 1:00pm-4:30pm | Medical Examiner and Coroner Data for Public Health Outcomes
Medical Examiner and Coroner Data for Public Health Outcomes
CSTE Staff Lead: Danielle Boyd
This in-person, interactive workshop is offered at no additional cost for registered CSTE Annual Conference attendees. Advanced registration is highly encouraged, as on-site admission cannot be guaranteed.
The workshop facilitation team will include representatives of CSTE Forensic Epidemiology Workgroup, CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics’ Collaborating Office for Medical Examiners and Coroners (COMEC), and medical examiner and coroner office staff.
Participants will be guided through an overview of the type of data collected by the medical examiner and coroner (MEC) offices. The workshop facilitators will highlight how this data flows from individual offices to the national mortality data sets.
During the workshop participants will be asked to work in small discussion groups and if possible, share examples from their own experiences working with MEC data. Participants will hear examples from different offices around the country of how MEC data inform public health initiatives. The workshop will offer participants an opportunity to brainstorm how MEC offices may further collaborate with public health partners and develop their own engagement strategies.
Target audience members include public health professionals currently using mortality data from MEC offices and anyone seeking to begin or foster relationships with their respective offices.
Full Day | 9:00am-4:30pm | Substance Use and Mental Health Surveillance
Navigating SUMH Surveillance
CSTE Staff Lead: Megan Toe
The 2025 CSTE Substance Use and Mental Health Epidemiology & Surveillance Workshop, “Navigating SUMH Surveillance,” provides the opportunity for participants to learn from experts and peers, to share information across jurisdictions, and to engage in discussion on emerging topics. This year’s workshop is a full day of content covering substance use and misuse, mental health, and overdose related topics. Content will be shared via panels, presentations and interactive small group discussions.
Surveillance & Informatics
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Half Day | 1:00pm-5:00pm | Data Modernization
Whitewater Wisdom: Thriving in the Flow of Data Modernization
Half Day | 1:00pm-5:00pm
Join us for adventures in navigating the grand data modernization rapids! Let’s chart the course downriver through conversations on funding strategies, pack our life preservers of best practices, and paddle together with our upskilled workforce as we conquer the currents of data modernization.
This workshop is intended for individuals directly involved in data modernization initiatives in their jurisdiction. We will discuss CDC and STLT data modernization successes and priorities, federal funding for data modernization, and progress through the Implementation Center program. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with peers and discuss progress, challenges, and opportunities in key data modernization areas such as emerging technologies, communications strategies, workforce, and change management.
Half Day | 8:30am-12:00pm | Surveillance & Informatics
Finding the Flow: Leveraging Automation, Standardization, and Collaboration to Navigate Public Health Data Challenges
CSTE Staff Lead: Taylor Pinsent
The 2025 “Finding the Flow: Leveraging Automation, Standardization, and Collaboration to Navigate Public Health Data Challenges” half-day workshop is designed to bring public health professionals together to advance automation, standardization, and collaboration in data workflows. Participants will discuss jurisdiction-specific priorities and challenges in data processing and sharing, with a focus on reducing manual burdens faced by State, Tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) agencies.
The workshop will highlight the impact of using standardized data elements, tools, techniques, and technologies to improve data workflow, as well as opportunities to streamline data sharing with STLT and federal partners. It will feature success stories and practical approaches from jurisdictions making progress in automation and burden reduction.
Through engaging dialogue and collaborative activities, workshop attendees will gain the confidence and skills to chart a path toward seamless data sharing, efficient processes, and optimized resource management—empowering them to better achieve public health goals.
Workshop Objectives
- Understand the Challenges: Facilitate discussions on the most pressing challenges jurisdictions face in data processing and sharing.
- Explore Solutions: Showcase practical tools, standardized data elements, and shared services that can help automate and streamline workflows to reduce time spent on manual processing.
- Foster Collaboration: Build stronger relationships across jurisdictions to share knowledge and collectively address barriers.
Half Day | 8:00am-12:00pm | Syndromic Surveillance Workshop
Connecting the Dots: Collaborate, Refine, Elevate Syndromic Surveillance
CSTE Staff Lead: Becca Tugan
The 2025 half day in-person workshop “Connecting the Dots: Collaborate, Refine, Elevate Syndromic Surveillance” will convene syndromic surveillance practitioners of various skill levels to build connections, explore shared experiences, and share & apply best practices. The workshop will provide an opportunity for you to learn how syndromic surveillance programs across the country are structured and hear about the important work they are doing to improve the health of people and communities everywhere. You will also collaborate with your colleagues to apply and refine syndromic surveillance best practices to address potential real-world scenarios. Attendance will provide participants with the opportunity to participate in practical exercises that will enhance their skills as they continue to grow in their syndromic surveillance practice.
Target Audience: Epidemiologists, informaticians, data analysts, and data scientists that manage and utilize syndromic surveillance systems.
Workforce Development
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Full Day | 8:30am-5:00pm | Applied Trend Analysis in R
Describing Data and Detecting Anomalies
Epidemiologists are often asked whether outcomes are more or less common than expected – a potentially difficult question to answer. Such questions might include “were Lyme disease cases last year greater than expected?”, “were heat-related deaths in July 2024 above expectations?”, and “have more contacts of the case been diagnosed with TB infection than usual?”. This interactive workshop equips applied epidemiologists with the tools to confidently answer those questions, and more. Participants will learn the fundamentals of trend analysis, focusing on detecting and identifying for further investigation anomalies in public health surveillance data. Through hands-on exercises in R, participants will gain practical experience exploring data, detecting trends and anomalies, and visualizing data. Analyses in the workshop will use code and real-world datasets – like mortality, among others – provided by the workshop team. Code and datasets will be given to participants for future use. The workshop will also feature anecdotes from applied epidemiologists who have used these tools in practice. Basic familiarity with R is required. The workshop will be led by the Surveillance and Outbreak Response Team from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.
After the workshop, participants will be able to
- Explain the utility of trend analysis to identify events of public health significance
- Apply Poisson regression to detect and visualize anomalies in example datasets using the provided tools
- Identify strengths and limitations and interpret public health implications of trend analysis results
- Brainstorm additional public health applications for these tools in their communities
Full Day | 8:30am-5:00pm | Talking Health: Strategies for Effective Public Health Communications (with de Beaumont)
Talking Health: Strategies for Effective Public Health Communications (with de Beaumont)
CSTE Staff Lead: Jennifer Lemmings
In 2022, de Beaumont Foundation published a book, Talking Health: A New Way to Communicate about Public Health, which provides health professionals with research-based tools to communicate more effectively about public health, strengthen community partnerships, and improve health outcomes. Inspired by the book, this Talking Health training is an in-person health communications workshop that offers participants space for collaborative learning, group discussion, and problem solving.
