Katherine Cornwall, PhD, MS

• Johns Hopkins University – PhD, Education

Bio

Katherine Cornwall, PhD (she/her), joined DFMCH in 2025 as a fellow. Her background in environmental studies and sciences inspired her research interests in the intersection of climate change and mental health. Her dissertation explored a paradox of environmental action: individuals must urgently engage with the health of our planet, as attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors shape the trajectory of climate change. Yet evidence increasingly shows that such engagement can exact a heavy emotional toll, often leading to disengagement as a means of self-preservation. Cornwall approached this dilemma with an educational lens, leveraging motivation and emotion regulation in the navigation of the paradox.

As a 500-hour registered yoga teacher, Cornwall has immersed herself in practices of self-study and regularly shares these approaches with others. She plans to integrate meditation, breathwork, and other contemplative practices into her current research, examining how such methods may foster resilience in the face of the climate crisis. She also hopes connecting with oneself will help people feel more connection with nature and community. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Cornwall collaborates with the Loka Initiative at the Center for Healthy Minds and is affiliated with the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.

Teaching Interests

As a teacher, Cornwall wants to encourage curiosity in environmental studies and sciences while simultaneously helping scholars develop methodological skills. Her research interests inform her teaching by centering students’ mental health as they learn about and live through ecological decline. It is her hope to motivate students to engage with complicated environmental problems while protecting their mental and emotional well-being in the process.

Research Interests

The research Cornwall conducts resides in the intersection of climate change and mental health. Theories of motivation and emotion regulation inform her line of inquiry to hold individual efforts with environmental issues. She employs both quantitative and qualitative methods, and she is experienced in survey design and psychometric analyses. Her current research examines how meditation and other contemplative interventions might improve individual outcomes by cultivating resilience to better adapt to evolving ecological conditions. She believes that if her research can help academics understand more about the mental and emotional anguish of individuals living through climate change, she is doing her job. However, if she can reach individuals on a personal level and help them navigate complex feelings with tangible practices so they can protect their well-being in the climate crisis, then she is helping to solve a problem.

Publications and Presentations

• Cornwall, KJ. The paradox of environmental action: Perceptions of ecological decline and the association with well-being. Dissertation. Johns Hopkins University; 2024. https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/handle/1774.2/69414
• Gehlbach H, Zhang Q, Cornwall K. Scientific storytelling for the current climate. Association for Psychological Science, 2023; Sept/Oct. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/scientific-storytelling
• Gehlbach H, Mu N, Arcot R, Chuter C, Cornwall K, Nehring L, Robinson C, & Vriesema C. Addressing the vexing educational challenges of biodiversity loss: A photo-based intervention. Contemporary Educational Psychology. 2022; 71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2022.102096
• Cornwall KJ. (2024, November). The paradox of environmental action: Perceptions of environmental decline and the relationship with well-being. Lecture presented at: Global Environmental Sustainability and Health at Johns Hopkins University; November 14, 2024; Baltimore, MD.
• Cornwall KJ. A paradox of environmental action: Emotions, engagement, and climate crisis. Research panel presented at: North American Association for Environmental Education Symposium; November 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, PA.