Marizen Ramirez, PhD, MPH
Professor, Division of Environmental Health Sciences

Contact Info
PhD, Epidemiology, University of California-Los Angeles
MPH, Epidemiology, University of California-Los Angeles
BA, Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California-Berkeley
Summary
Injuries and violence are the leading causes of death for people aged 1-44. To address this pressing issue, I study some of the most prevalent injury and violence problems of today to identify effective and evidence-based solutions to prevent trauma and its adverse impacts. My work has a special focus on society’s most vulnerable population at risk for violence (especially bullying) and injuries: children, persons with disabilities, agricultural workers, minorities, and rural populations.
Expertise
Injury and violence prevention and control; injury and violence epidemiology; pediatric injuries; adverse child experiences; disaster preparedness; traffic injuries; agricultural injuries; intervention development, implementation and evaluation; policy evaluation; mixed methods.
Awards & Recognition
Research
Research Methods/Techniques
Research Funding Grants
- 8/12–7/17, CDC/NCIPC, "The University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center: Implementation & Outcome Evaluation of Iowa's Anti-bullying Legislation," Principal Investigator
- 2/14–10/17, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, "Evaluation of Parent-Based Interventions to Support Children after Traumatic Injury," Principal Investigator
- 1/14–12/17, U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, "Contents and Contexts of Cyber Bullying: An Epidemiologic Study Using Electronic Detection and Social Network Analysis," Principal Investigator
Publications
See a full list of my publications on PubMed
Select Publications
- Ramirez M, Ten Eyck P, Peek-Asa C, Onwuachi-Willig A, Cavanaugh JE, "Evaluation of Iowa's Anti-Bullying Law," Injury Epidemiology, 2016
- Young R, Tully M, Ramirez M, "School Administrator Perceptions of Cyberbullying Facilitators and Barriers to Preventative Action: A Qualitative Study," Health & Education Behavior, October 2016
- Ramirez M, Bedford R, Wu H, Harland K, Cavanaugh JE, Peek-Asa C, "Lighting and Marking Policies are Associated with Reduced Farm Equipment-Related Crash Rates: A Policy Analysis of Nine Midwestern US States," Occupational & Environmental Medicine, September 2016
- Hatzenbuehler ML, Schwab-Reese L, Ranapurwala SI, Hertz MF, Ramirez MR. “Associations between antibullying policies and bullying in 25 states.” JAMA Pediatrics, October 2015.
- Ramirez M, Toussaint M, Woods-Jaeger B, Harland K, Wetjen K, Wilgenbusch T, Pitcher G, Jennissen C. “Link for injured kids: a patient-centered program of psychological first aid after trauma.” Pediatric Emergency Care, November 2015
Teaching
Courses
- PubH 3123/6123, Violence Prevention and Control: Theory, Research, and Application
Community Engagement
Collaborations with other researchers and community partners has been instrumental to building my areas of research. I work with school districts, children's hospitals, and nonprofits to build and continue multidisciplinary research and implementation.
Media
In The News
In The Media:
- UMN Extension aims to raise mental health awareness in rural areas (Minnesota Daily)
- Farmers Don't Have Enough Access to Mental Health (U.S. News & World Report)
- In occupation where stress is ample, farmers have few options for mental health care (Minnesota Public Radio)
- In Mpls., busted-up guns become 'surreal' art exhibit (MPR News)
- Light up equipment to help keep all drivers safe (Minnesota Farm Guide)