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The Road to a Vaccine: Is it really safe for schools to be open right now?

In Season 2 of The Road to a Vaccine, host Lisa Ling interviews scientists, global health leaders and other experts on the COVID-19 front lines to reveal the latest medical advances and collaborations to create a coronavirus vaccine—and hopefully a return to a world without the pandemic.

As schools reopen—and sometimes close again—what have we learned about the risks of in-person learning? In Episode 7 of The Road to a Vaccine, Lisa Ling speaks to school nurse Robin Cogan and pediatrician Dr. Sam Maldonado to find answers and debunk myths around kids and COVID-19.

Note: This program originally aired on Sep. 22, 2020.
RTAV: Season 2, Episode 7
Host Lisa Ling (middle) talking and smiling with Lucy Bernstein (left) and Cindi Leive (right)

Lisa Ling

Ling is the Executive Producer and host of This Is Life on CNN. She has also been a field correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show and a contributor to ABC News’ Nightline.
School nurse Robin Cogan

Robin Cogan

Cogan is a nationally certified school nurse in her 20th year serving the students and families of Camden, New Jersey. She is a blogger, gun violence prevention activist and has been nationally recognized for her work in school nursing and population health. Most recently, she was the recipient of the 2020 National Association of School Nurses President’s Award.
RTAV Sam Maldonado

Sam Maldonado, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP

Dr. Maldonado is a pediatric infectious diseases physician and Vice President of Pediatric Drug Development at Janssen Research & Development. For the past two decades, Dr. Maldonado has worked in developing new medicines for children. He was a Medical Officer at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the 1990s during the HIV/AIDS pandemic. While working in the Antiviral Division at the FDA, Dr. Maldonado also worked on policy issues that culminated with the pediatric laws that govern pediatric drug development today.
RTAV Cindi Leive

Cindi Leive

Leive is an award-winning journalist, media leader and advocate for women. She is the former editor-in-chief of both Glamour and Self magazines; the force behind barrier-breaking initiatives like Glamour Women of the Year; and the author or producer of numerous best-selling books including Together We Rise, about the making of the Women’s March. She is currently a senior fellow at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center.
RTAV Lucy Bernstein

Lucy Bernstein

Bernstein, 17, is a freshman at the University of Michigan.

6 top questions about COVID-19: What a school nurse has to say

On the next episode of The Road to a Vaccine, host Lisa Ling delves into how the pandemic is affecting parents, children and school staff. We sat down with one of the upcoming guests, school nurse Robin Cogan, to find out the most pressing questions on her mind—and those of moms and dads.