Caitlin Durkin has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Charles F. Westoff Prize in Demography for her senior thesis entitled, “States of Uncertainty: Contraceptive Decision-Making in U.S. College Health Centers after Dobbs and the 2024 Election.” This thesis was nominated by Caitlin’s advisor Betsy Armstrong. 

Her work was selected by Westoff Committee members: Pascaline Dupas, Noreen Goldman, and Jim Raymo 

Cailin’s thesis examines variation in contraception and other reproductive health services provided on college campuses and students’ thinking and behavior around contraceptive use in today’s uncertain and regionally heterogenous policy environment. She creatively used data from in-depth interviews with college-based health care providers to provide a deeper understanding of the thought processes surrounding both provision and use of contraception on college campuses. Her research demonstrates that, in addition to the direct impact of policies on the range of contraception available and state variation therein, fear of criminalization in the current political environment has negatively impacted trust and information sharing between students and the health service providers. It is an outstanding thesis on a question of core demographic relevance.