eason 1 of The Road to a Vaccine is an eight-episode educational video series that examines the latest efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and breaks down the complex process of developing a coronavirus vaccine.
Host Lisa Ling talks to leading scientists and researchers, healthcare workers on the front lines and public health experts around the world who are working collaboratively to bring an end to the deadly pandemic.
In Episode 4 we hear from two ER doctors about what they’ve learned from caring for COVID-19 patients. A renowned epidemiologist shares why testing is so important. A Nigerian doctor who recovered from Ebola herself talks about how fighting this outbreak is different. Plus, a leading scientist talks about how long vaccine immunity could last.
Season 1
Episode 4
What Doctors On The Front Lines of COVID-19 Are Now Saying About the Virus
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.
Dr. Okoli not only treated patients during the 2014 Ebola epidemic in Nigeria but was also infected and recovered from the virus herself. She’s now working to strengthen health systems in order to reduce the burden of infectious diseases in low-income communities and achieve equitable access to health for all. She’s currently an internal medicine resident physician in New Orleans and an Aspen New Voices Fellow.
Dr. Brilliant is a physician and epidemiologist, CEO of Pandefense Advisory and Chair of the Advisory Board of the NGO Ending Pandemics. Dr. Brilliant lived in India for nearly a decade, where he was a key member of the successful WHO Smallpox Eradication Programme for SE Asia, as well as the WHO Polio Eradication Programme.
Dr. Van Hoof is the Global Head of Vaccines at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. In this role, he oversees all vaccine programs, including progress on the company’s COVID-19, HIV, Ebola and RSV vaccine candidates. Dr. Van Hoof received his medical degree (cum laude) from the University of Antwerp, Belgium, in the Department of Anatomy and Embryology at Rijksuniversitair Centrum Antwerpen, Belgium.
Dr. Kuffner is the Chief Medical Officer of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies and is responsible for providing medical and safety oversight and leading the Safety Council for the Consumer sector. He is a member of the Johnson & Johnson Office of the Chief Medical Officer Senior Leadership team, as well as the Consumer R&D Leadership Team.
Dr. Hernandez is board certified in emergency medicine and is an American College of Emergency Physicians Fellow. He is also the founder of Certa Dose, a JLABS @ NYC resident company and QuickFireChallenge winner that's focused on creating solutions to help reduce medication dosing errors. He has served as an EMS Medical Director and has led frontline medical response with the Red Cross. He also holds several patents.
Dr. Dongchen Zhou was a practicing cardiologist in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, when he received a call to help volunteer at a hospital in Wuhan. In February 2020 he began to treat COVID-19 patients—and recounts for us what his journey was like.
