Biography
As a faculty member, Dr. Ramirez Surmeier focuses on creating opportunities for students to participate in high-impact practices such as Undergraduate Research, Service-Learning, Certifications, and International Education. She is the founder and Director of the Pepper Certified Peer Health Educator Scholarship. Students who complete the training and pass the certification exam demonstrate their leadership skills in creating and implementing successful campus health programs. Her research interests are on the intersection of education and health, with a primary focus on the Hispanic population and college students.
At the university level, Dr. Ramirez Surmeier serves as the Director of the Exploration & Discovery Living-Learning Community which introduces freshmen to a major research university via a small community context. She continues to serve on the President’s Council on Inclusive Excellence and as the appointed Convener of the University’s Hispanic-Serving Institution Strategy Workgroup. She is also a Faculty Affiliate of the Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy and the Sociology Department.
Within the profession, she is an active member of the Florida Public Health Association, serves on the Board for the American Public Health Association Latino Caucus for Public Health, and is an active alumna of the international Consortium on Analytics for Data-Driven Decision-Making.
Education
PhD, Sociology
Florida State University, 2022
Dissertation: How are Florida Colleges and Universities “Serving” Hispanic Undergraduate Students? – Testing a Latent Variable
Master of Science, Sociology
Florida State University, 2019
Thesis: Life Satisfaction and Intergenerational Mobility among older Hispanics in the United States
Master of Science, Higher Education Administration
Florida State University, 2006
Bachelor of Science, International Affairs
Florida State University, 2004
Courses Taught
Undergraduate Courses Taught
PHC 4030: Introduction to Epidemiology
PHC 4069: Introduction to Biostatistics
PHC 4157: Health Policy and Society
PHC 4470: Health Behavior and Health Promotion
SYG 2010: Social Problems (FSU International Programs)
SYG 3245: Sociology of Food (FSU International Programs)
SYP 3730: Aging and the Life Course
Graduate Courses Taught
PHC 5475: Health Behavior & Education
Awards & Honors
2024 Specialized Faculty Professional Development Award, FSU College of Social Science &
Public Policy
2024 Honors in the Major Mentor Award Nominee, Florida State University
2023 Honors in the Major Mentor Award Nominee, Florida State University
2023 Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Materials Grant Recipient, Florida State
University
2022 Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Mentor Award Nominee, Florida State
University
2022 Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Materials Grant Recipient, Florida State
University
2022 Rosalina Gonzales Award for Sharing & Upholding the Principles of Latinx Culture, Florida State University
2021 Consortium on Analytics for Data-Driven Decision-Making Fellowship (CAnD3), McGill University
Professional Experience
2023 – Present Faculty Director, Exploration & Discovery Learning Community
Summer 2023, 2024 Faculty, International Programs – Valencia, Spain
2023 – Present Faculty Affiliate, Sociology Department
2022 – Present Faculty Affiliate, Pepper Institute on Aging & Public Policy
2022 – Present Assistant Teaching Professor, Public Health Program
Selected Publications
Perez-Felkner, L., Ramirez Surmeier, L., & Rezaei, R. (2023). Gender and Educational Inequality. In Mark Berends, Barbara Schneider, & Stephen Lamb (Eds.), The Sage Handbook on Sociology of Education, pp. 142-158. Sage Publications.
Ramirez Surmeier, L., Taylor, M., & Carr, D. (2022). Life Satisfaction and Intergenerational
Mobility among older Hispanics in the United States. Journal of Aging and Health.
https://doi.org/10.1177/08982643221100788
Tillman, K.H., Ramirez Surmeier, L., & Miller, B. (2022). How College Students
Define “Interracial” Relationships: Implications for Measurement. Social Currents. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294965221118071
Ladanya Ramirez Surmeier, PhD
PhD
Assistant Teaching Professor
Specialization: Director, Pepper Certified Peer Health Educator Scholarship, Director, Exploration & Discovery Living-Learning Community Faculty Affiliate, Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy Faculty Affiliate, Sociology Department
Areas of Interest: Health & Education, College Students, Hispanic Population, Experiential Learning
Claude Pepper Center Bldg, Room 240