Annual Awards

The Dorothy S. Thomas Award

The Dorothy S. Thomas Award has been established by the Population Association of America (PAA) in honor of Dorothy S. Thomas and is presented annually for the best graduate student paper on the interrelationships among social, economic and demographic variables. The Award consists of a cash prize and a certificate to be presented during the PAA Annual Meeting.

Eligibility
The research must be undertaken while the author is a pre-doctoral student in an accredited graduate program. The paper must have both theoretical and empirical aspects. Two or more students may share the award for a collaborative study, but a paper jointly authored by a student and a member of the faculty is not eligible. An individual is eligible for one year following completion of the study. Published papers are acceptable. Recipients of the Ph.D. prior to January 1, 2023 and previous winners of the award are not eligible. Nominees should exemplify the highest standards of professional conduct. 

2025 Dorothy S. Thomas Award Winner

Ralph Lawton, Harvard University
“Early-life infectious disease exposure, the “hygiene hypothesis”, and lifespan: evidence from hookworm”


Past Award Recipients

  • 2024: Fernanda Rojas-Ampuero
  • 2023: Eric Ice
  • 2022: Chinyere Agbai 
  • 2021: Sangita Vyas, Payal Hathi, and Aashish Gupta
  • 2020: Christina Cross
  • 2019: Margot Moinester
  • 2018: Bryan A. Stuart
  • 2017: Eric Chyn
  • 2016: Jason Kerwin
  • 2015: Olga Malkova
  • 2014: J. M. Ian Salas
  • 2013: Deirdre Bloome and Christopher M. Muller
  • 2012: Gil Shapira
  • 2011: Michal Engelman
  • 2010: Margaret Gough and Alexandra Killewald
  • 2009: Yan Yu
  • 2008: Christopher Wildeman
  • 2007: Amy Hsin
  • 2006: Kate W. Strully
  • 2005: Jason Fletcher
  • 2004: Amelie Quesnel-Vallee
  • 2003: Sarah Burgard
  • 2002: Adrianna Lleras-Muny
  • 2001: J. David Hacker
  • 2000: Theodore Mouw
  • 1999: Kelly A. Musick
  • 1998: Marin Clarkberg
  • 1997: John Iceland and Heather Koball
  • 1996: Clea Sucoff
  • 1995: Narayan Sastry
  • 1994: Parfait M. Eloundou-Enyegue and Zai Liang
  • 1993: Elizabeth Frankenberg
  • 1992: Martin Brockerhoff
  • 1991:  Deborah A. Cobb-Clark
  • 1990: Rebecca L. Clark
  • 1989: Jane E. Miller and Andrew R. Morrison
  • 1988: Jane Mauldon
  • 1987: Andrew Foster and Zeng Yi
  • 1986: Rachel Connelly and Arline T. Geronimus
  • 1985: Sherrie Kossoudji and Insan Tunali
  • 1984: Patrick Galloway
  • 1983: David A. Lam
  • 1982: Mary Kay Falconer and Peter A. Rog
  • 1981: S. S. Halli and Frank Trovato
  • 1980: Joan M. Herold

Recent Awards Ceremony: