About this episode:

HHS leadership started 2026 with an unexpected announcement changing federal childhood vaccine recommendations. In this episode: Dr. Josh Sharfstein joins Lindsay Smith Rogers to talk about the announcement's immediate impact, the rationale behind it, and how it will reshape vaccination in the U.S.

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

Guests:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Host:

Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Show links and related content:

• HHS Changes Its Pediatric Vaccine Recommendations: What's Different, What Remains, and What It Means for American Health—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

• CDC Acts on Presidential Memorandum to Update Childhood Immunization Schedule—U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

• Kennedy Scales Back the Number of Vaccines Recommended for Children—New York Times

• AAP Opposes Federal Health Officials' Unprecedented Move to Remove Universal Childhood Immunization Recommendations—American Academy of Pediatrics

• Vaccines 101: The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program—Public Health On Call (February 2025)

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