Marcus Plescia, MD, MPH, is the chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). He provides medical leadership and expertise across the agency and has served as ASTHO’s principal spokesperson during the COVID-19 pandemic. He leads the ASTHO Atlanta office and serves as the association’s primary liaison to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Plescia received his medical degree, Master of Public Health, and Bachelor of Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He trained in Family Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center Residency Program in Social Medicine in the Bronx, New York. He is Board Certified in Family Medicine and has practiced in a variety of settings serving homeless, urban poor, rural, and other underserved populations. He has published extensively in the public health and family medicine literature.