Megan L. Ranney

Megan L. Ranney is a practicing American emergency physician currently serving as the Dean of the Yale School of Public Health. Previously, Ranney served as the Deputy Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, was Warren Alpert Endowed Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Rhode Island Hospital and the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Ranney was the founding Director of the Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ranney brought public attention to the deficit of protective equipment for United States frontline workers. She launched the grassroots organization #GetUsPPE to collect, create and distribute personal protective equipment around the United States.

Early life and education Ranney graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts in the history of science in 1997. After graduation, Ranney joined the Peace Corps, where she supported programs in the Ivory Coast.

Career Ranney worked as a physician at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, where she witnessed the consequences of gun violence. She used her background to start conversations about guns in the context of public health. The following year, Ranney delivered a TED talk where she discussed how healthcare professionals can help to solve America's gun problem. Ranney has advocated for increased investment in community violence prevention programs and other interventions that move beyond gun control laws.

GetUsPPE During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ranney drew public attention to the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) available for frontline staff. Ranney described shortages in PPE in The New England Journal of Medicine, where she called for Donald Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act to spur private companies to manufacture PPE. She called on private-sector companies to expand manufacturing of N95 masks, and suggested the Food and Drug Administration relax regulations to allow healthcare workers faster access to protective clothing. In March 2020, Ranney submitted recommendations to the federal government of the United States on what priorities should be included in the CARES Act. Her recommendations included focussing on health security, protecting the health of all American's, particularly those from minoritised backgrounds, and to invest money in public health initiatives. #GetUsPPE called for the public to donate money and resources to protect frontline physicians. Amongst other donations, Ranney collected 4,000 N95 masks from colleagues at Brown University.

In March 2020 Ranney lost her colleague, Frank Gabrin, to the coronavirus disease. He was the first emergency doctor to die from such symptoms. Ranney was quoted by Meet the Press as saying, "He was a leader within the emergency room field. ... Unless our government steps up & gets us the protective equipment we need, he will be the first of many of my colleagues". In December she became the school's Academic Dean.

Awards and honors 2022: Ranney was elected to the National Academy of Medicine 2021: Ranney was named "2020 RI Woman of the Year" by GoLocalProv, a Rhode Island business publication. 2018: Ranney was awarded the Bruce M. Selya Award for Excellence in Research by Lifespan hospitals

Personal life Ranney is married to Chuck Ranney, with whom she has two children.