Heather M. Rackin

Heather M. Rackin serves as Associate Professor of Sociology at Louisiana State University's College of Humanities & Social Sciences. She received her PhD from Duke University in 2013. Her research specializes in social demography with three primary foci: fertility intentions and outcomes, socioeconomic disparities in family contexts, and population health/well-being.

Research Innovations:

• Developed the social-cognitive model of fertility intentions
• Created Network Text Analysis (NTA) for cognitive schema measurement
• Examines socioeconomic divergence in children's family instability
• Studies health impacts of unintended fertility and military service

She employs diverse methodologies including longitudinal analysis, propensity score weighting, and social network techniques. Her teaching emphasizes statistical education through innovative approaches like simulation methods.