Deans, Chairs and Leadership

Dr. Megan L. Ranney is an emergency physician, researcher, and leading advocate for innovative, intersectional approaches to public health. She is the Dean of the Yale School of Public Health, the C.-E. A. Winslow Professor of Public Health, and a Professor of Emergency Medicine at Yale University. Dr. Ranney is the first Dean to lead the school since it became a fully independent graduate institution in 2024, with a new strategic vision of linking science and society, making public health foundational to communities everywhere. Dr. Ranney’s career has been driven by her front-row seat to preventable public health crises, from her formative years in the Peace Corps to her 20+ years as a practicing emergency medicine physician. Whether addressing motor vehicle injuries and firearm violence, HIV and COVID-19, or the importance of healthcare access, her first-hand experiences have fueled her commitment to high-quality science and making sure the science is used and understood by communities across the globe. Research: Her research, which centers on interventions to prevent violence and related behavioral health problems, with a particular focus on the role of social media and digital health, has been published in over 200 journals, including NEJM, JAMA, Nature, Annals of Internal Medicine, and Annals of Emergency Medicine. She has served as principal investigator for numerous grants from NIH, CDC, and foundations and has launched numerous mentees into successful research careers. Leadership: In 2022, Dr. Ranney was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) for her scientific contributions to the fields of firearm injury prevention and digital health and for her translation of health policy and behavioral science theory to COVID-related risk reduction. Within the NAM, Dr. Ranney serves as co-chair of the Firearm Injury Prevention Special Interest Group and is a member of the planning committee for the NASEM Forum on Gun Violence Prevention. She is also an elected member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering and a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Dean Ranney's dedication to public health is internationally recognized, and her leadership is sought across sectors. She has given dozens of international keynotes for academic and non-academic audiences. On a national scale, she has also helped shape bipartisan policy and public opinion with multiple Congressional testimonies and provided expertise to the U.S. Surgeon General and the White House across multiple presidential administrations. She also provides guidance to international non-governmental organizations and private corporations. Dr. Ranney founded two nonprofits (AFFIRM at the Aspen Institute and GetUsPPE) and serves as a board member on many organizations that work to curb violence, promote health communication, and improve global health. She is a founding board member of the Research Society for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harms, and serves as chair of the Selection Committee for the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s "Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications.” She also sits on the Milken Institute Public Health Advisory Board, The Commonwealth Fund’s Health Equity advisory committee, and the Board of Trustees for the National Opioid Abatement Trust. She is a graduate of the Aspen Institute’s Health Innovators Fellowship Program and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Communications: Dr. Ranney is a nationally recognized figure in the media with hundreds of national and international appearances that translate public health messages and science to the public. She has appeared in outlets ranging from CNN and Fox News to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and leading national Substack columns. Awards: Dean Ranney has received numerous awards for technology innovation, public health, and research, including the Ira Hiscock Award in 2024 for her outstanding leadership in public health; the RockHealth “Top 50 in Digital Health” award in 2023; Rhode Island’s “Woman of the Year” in 2021; and the American College of Emergency Physicians’ Policy Pioneer Award in 2018. Academia: Prior to arriving at Yale, Dean Ranney served as Deputy Dean at the Brown University School of Public Health; the Warren Alpert Endowed Professor of Emergency Medicine at Alpert Medical School of Brown University; and the Founding Director of the Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health. She remains an adjunct faculty member at Brown University. Education: Dr. Ranney earned her MD from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she graduated as a member of Alpha Omega Alpha and the Gold Humanism Honor Society. She holds an MPH from Brown University and a bachelor’s degree in the history of science, graduating summa cum laude from Harvard University. She completed her residency in emergency medicine and a fellowship in injury prevention research at Brown University. She was previously a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cote d'Ivoire.