Dr. Megan Ranney, a practicing emergency physician, researcher and nationally recognized voice for innovative public solutions, is next up in the Distinguished Speaker Series at UNC Pembroke.
Ranney will speak at 7 p.m. on March 7. This will be the first public event held in the Upchurch Auditorium inside the new James A. Thomas Hall. The event will feature a fireside chat with Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings, a former cardiothoracic surgeon.
“I am honored to host a guest for our Distinguished Speaker Series and especially Dr. Ranney,” Cummings said. “I appreciate the opportunity to lead this discussion with such a well-recognized name in public health, and hear first-hand her thoughts and experiences, especially at a time when the world has faced such unique challenges in health care over the last two years.
“It should be an excellent opportunity for our students and guests to gain understanding from a valued perspective.”
UNCP is excited to have Dr. Ranney visit campus, according to Abdul Ghaffar, director of Campus Engagement and Leadership and the University Center. “
“Dr. Ranney is one of the most respected medical experts in the world. She the epitome of the term distinguished speaker. An added bonus is having our very own Chancellor Cummings hosting the event. There is no one at UNCP more qualified than Dr. Cummings to host the conversation with Dr. Ranney.”
A renowned medical expert, Ranney serves as academic dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University. She is the founding director of the Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health at Brown University and the Warren Alpert Foundation Professor of Emergency Medicine and Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Health Services, Policy and Practice at Brown University.
Her work has been featured by hundreds of media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, the BBC, the New York Times, the Washington Post and Fox News.
She is often interviewed globally as a COVID expert. Medika, a prominent health information website, recently named Ranney 29th on a list of the 50 most influential voices in health care. Dr. Anthony Fauci was number one.
Her work focuses on the intersection between digital health, violence prevention and population health. She has over a decade of expertise in developing and testing federally funded digital health and violence prevention interventions.
She serves multiple national leadership roles, including chief research officer of AFFIRM Research, the country’s leading non-profit committed to ending the gun violence epidemic through a non-partisan public health approach; and president of the Board of GetUsPPE.org, a start-up non-profit that is delivering donated personal protective equipment to those who need it most.
She is an editor for Annals of Emergency Medicine, an Aspen Institute’s Health Innovators fellow and an Aspen Global Leadership Network member.
She graduated from Harvard University summa cum laude, then served as a Peace Corps volunteer before attending medical school at Columbia University. She completed internship, residency, and chief residency in Emergency Medicine and a fellowship in Injury Prevention Research and a Master of Public Health at Brown University.
The Distinguished Speaker Series is presented by the Office of Campus Engagement and Leadership and GPAC. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $5 for faculty/staff/children and free for UNCP students with a valid student ID.
For tickets, please visit uncp.edu/gpactickets.
Ranney’s visit is co-sponsored by GPAC and the College of Health Sciences. She is the fourth speaker in the Distinguished Speaker Series, following Jesse Cole, Tommy Orange and Bakari Sellers. Angelina Boulley will visit on March 28.