People

Angela M O'Rand

Chair and Professor of Sociology

Office Phone: 919-660-5629
Office Fax: (919) 668-2729
E-mail Address: socscidean@duke.edu
Location: 268 Soc-Psych
Mailing Address: Department of Sociology Duke University Box 90088 Durham, NC 27708
CV: Curriculum Vitae

Overview

I joined the Duke University Sociology faculty in 1979. I am affiliated with the Duke University Population Research Institute's Center for Social Demography and Ethnography, the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development as a Senior Fellow and the Center for Genome Ethics, Law and Policy. I am also the Director of Duke University's Focus program for first-year students. I teach regularly in Focus courses that address themes related to biology and society (e.g. Evolution and Humankind) and in graduate seminars focused on the demography of aging and inequality. Among the courses I teach regularly are Social Inequality (SOC 111), Science and Technology in a Global Context (SOC 156), Biology and Society (SOC 101B)and Stratification and the Life Course (SOC 228).

Research Summary

My major research interests focus on patterns of inequality across the life span, with a special interest in the temporal diversity of life transitions and their consequences for later life. Over twenty eight years I have examined workplace policies related to wage and benefit structures and the impact of workers' educational, work and family histories on wage and fringe benefit outcomes. The changing employment relationship and the re-organization of retirement institutions (especially pensions) have been a central concern of my research. Most recently, I have turned to the cumulative impact of economic adversity on midlife health risks, such as heart attack. This research has uncovered the persistent effects of childhood adversity on midlife heart attack risk, especially among women. I am expanding this focus over the next 5 years.

Publications (More Publications)

O’Rand, A. M. and Hamil-Luker, Jenifer (2005) “Processes of cumulative adversity linking childhood disadvantage toincreased risk of heart attack across the life course.” Journal of Gerontology—Social Sciences
Shuey, Kim and O’Rand, A. M. (2004) "New risks for workers: Gender, labor markets and pensions." Annual Review of Sociology
Elman, Cheryl and O’Rand, A. M. (2004) “The race is to the swift: socioeconomic origins, adult education and mid-life economic attainment.” American Journal of Sociology