 After receiving her doctorate, Ratner had difficulty obtaining a research position because of her gender.Eventually she was hired by Rudolf Schoenheimer of the College of Physicians and Surgeons to investigate the metabolic processes of nitrogen compounds.From 1937 to 1939 Ratner worked under a Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation Research Fellowship, and from 1939 to 1946 she earned the academic titles of instructor and assistant professor at Columbia University.