There is finally a light at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic tunnel, thanks to a historic vaccine development effort. We gathered experts for our COVID-19 vaccine series to answer key questions: how do COVID-19 vaccines work, how can we ensure that vaccines are distributed ethically and efficiently, and what will it take to bring us out of this pandemic?

In “2021 Hope on the Horizon: A Fireside Chat with Moderna Founder Dr. Derrick Rossi & NYSCF CEO Susan L. Solomon”, Moderna founder, NYSCF – Robertson Stem Cell Investigator Alumnus, and NYSCF Board Member Derrick Rossi, PhD, shared the science behind the mRNA technology fueling COVID-19 vaccines that he helped pioneer and what to look forward to in 2021. Read highlights here or watch the full discussion below.

 In “How Do We Ethically Distribute COVID-19 Vaccines?” experts Jeffrey Kahn, PhD, MPH (Andreas C. Dracopoulos Director, The Berman Institute for Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University), Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, FACOG (President and Dean, Morehouse School of Medicine), Daniel Polsky, PhD (Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Health Economics, Johns Hopkins University), Susan L. Solomon, JD (CEO and Founder, The NYSCF Research Institute), and Raeka Aiyar, PhD (Associate Vice President of Scientific Outreach, The NYSCF Research Institute) discussed the successes and challenges in vaccine distribution, and how we can move toward ‘normalcy.’ Read highlights here or watch the full discussion below.

 In “COVID-19 Vaccines & Ending the Pandemic,” viral immunologist, physician-researcher, and Pulitzer Prize winner Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, DPhil, epidemiologist, global health expert, and MacArthur Fellow Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, MPA,  NY Governor Cuomo’s COVID-19 Response Task Force member Gareth Rhodes, JD, and NYSCF CEO and Founder Susan L. Solomon, JD, explored the ethical considerations around access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, as well as how we can work together to maximize their benefits. Read highlights here or watch the full discussion below.

Learn more about NYSCF’s COVID-19 research.