About this episode:

Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services abruptly fired around 10,000 employees, 3,500 of which were within the FDA alone—an organization of around 18,000 total employees as of January 2025. In this episode: A look at the work of the FDA and how it may be hampered by such significant cuts, and how patients may be among those most impacted.

Guest:

Dr. Robert Califf served as the FDA Commissioner under Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland’s Health Department.

Show links and related content:

• Dr. Peter Marks’s Resignation Letter (PDF)—The New York Times

• Widespread firings start at federal health agencies including many in leadership—NPR Shots

• The U.S. Food Safety System—Public Health On Call (June 2022)

• FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf on Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccines, Combating Misinformation, and Building Trust—Public Health On Call (August 2022)

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Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.