School Nurses fulfill a critical role to advocate for health and safety protocols, inside and outside of schools. Keeping our young people ‘safe & healthy’ is only a third of what they strive to accomplish within their role. Others they work to serve are school personnel (teachers, administrators, and staff) and communities (home, family, friends). Our guest today is Robin Cogan, a health expert, who has over 20 years in serving as a School Nurse, working in the Camden City School District, in New Jersey. She is also a nationally recognized leader in moving schools into the 21st century towards the highest levels of medical practices and protocols. School Nurses have led the charge, even before the pandemic, in keeping our schools a place where everyone can learn while remaining safe and healthy.
Robin is a Registered Nurse and a Nationally Certified School Nurse (NCSN), currently in her 22nd year as a New Jersey school nurse in the Camden City School District. She serves on several national boards including The American Foundation for Firearm Injury Reduction in Medicine (AFFIRM), a gun violence prevention research non-profit organization and the National Board of Certification for School Nurses (NBCSN). Robin is the Legislative Chair for the New Jersey State School Nurses Association (NJSSNA). She is proud to be a Johnson & Johnson School Health Leadership Fellow and past Program Mentor. She has been recognized in her home state of New Jersey and nationally for her community-based initiative called “The Community Café: A Conversation That Matters.”
Robin is the honored recipient of multiple awards for her work in school nursing and population health. These awards include 2021 – Fellow in The American Academy of Nursing; 2019 National Association of School Nurses (NASN) President’s Award; 2018 NCSN School Nurse of the Year; 2017 Johnson & Johnson School Nurse of the Year; and the New Jersey Department of Health 2017 Population Health Hero Award. Robin serves as faculty in the School Nurse Certificate Program at Rutgers University-Camden School of Nursing, where she teaches the next generation of school nurses. She was presented the 2018 Rutgers University – Camden Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award for Part-time Faculty. Robin writes a weekly blog called The Relentless School Nurse. You can also follow her on Twitter at @RobinCogan.
