Megan Ranney

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ranney drew public attention to the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) available for frontline staff.[10][11][5] Ranney pointed out that alongside escalating SARS-CoV-2 patient numbers, the protocols, treatment options and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations changed frequently.[12][13] 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.[14] 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.[14] She has asked whether local governments could better coordinate the collection of PPE from existing stockpiles.[14][15][16] In March 2020, Ranney submitted recommendations to the federal government of the United States on what priorities should be included in the CARES Act.[17] 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.[17]

Ranney worked with Shuhan He, a doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital, to create the organisation #GetUsPPE.[6] GetUsPPE is a grassroots collective of engineers, medical professionals and volunteers who look to locate, create and distribute equipment to Americans in need.[18] #GetUsPPE called for the public to donate money and resources to protect frontline physicians.[19] Amongst other donations, Ranney collected 4,000 N95 masks from colleagues at Brown University.[20]

In March 2020 Ranney lost her colleague, Frank Gabrin, to the coronavirus disease. He was the first emergency doctor to die from such symptoms.[21] 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".[21]

In February 2021, Ranney was named Associate Dean for Strategy and Innovation for the Brown University School of Public Health.[22] In December she became the school's Academic Dean.[3]