Change at the EPA
Show notes
Since its inception, the Environmental Protection Agency has served as the bedrock for major policy initiatives to protect human and environmental health in the U.S.—from safeguarding access to clean air and water to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. But a recent move towards deregulation reflects major changes happening at the agency. In this episode: Tom Burke, who served as the deputy assistant administrator of the EPA from 2015 to 2017, talks about his serious concerns about recent policy moves—and his confidence that the future of environmental health nonetheless remains strong.
Guest:Tom Burke, PhD, MPH, is an emeritus professor at Johns Hopkins and a former top official with the Environmental Protection Agency in the Obama administration.
Host:Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.
Show links and related content:EPA Hits 40-Year Lows in Staffing After Trump Targets Its Public Health Experts—Inside Climate News
The EPA's Approval of Two New Pesticides—Public Health On Call (March 2026)
The Future of the Environmental Protection Agency Under Trump—Public Health On Call (December 2024)
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. You can also email [email protected] to request a transcript.
AI disclosure (as of September 2026):The conversations you hear on the podcast are happening between real humans, and real humans are developing and researching episodes behind the scenes. In addition to real human audio engineers, Public Health On Call uses AI production tools to assist with the removal of filler words and improve audio quality. If you have any questions about our use of AI, please reach out to [email protected].
Contact us:Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. You can also leave us a voicemail at (667) 217-6214 for the chance to hear your voice on the podcast.
Follow us:Here's our RSS feed
Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.