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.
Ranney worked as a physician at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, where she witnessed the consequences of gun violence.[6] She used her background to start conversations about guns in the context of public health.[6] Ranney helped found the American Foundation for Firearm Injury Reduction in Medicine, for which she serves as research officer.[2][7] The following year, Ranney delivered a TED talk where she discussed how healthcare professionals can help to solve America's gun problem.[8] Ranney has advocated for increased investment in community violence prevention programs and other interventions that move beyond gun control laws.[9]
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]
^Jha, Ashish (3 February 2021). "SPH Leadership Announcements". Dean of the School of Public Health. Providence, Rhode Island: Brown University School of Public Health. Retrieved 10 February 2021. I am pleased to announce that Dr. Megan Ranney has agreed to serve as Associate Dean for Strategy and Innovation.
^"Office of the Dean". Yale School of Public Health. Yale University. Archived from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
