Katherine Cornwall, PhD, MS

• Johns Hopkins University – PhD, Education

Bio

Katherine Cornwall, PhD (she/her/hers) joined DFMCH in 2025 as a fellow. Cornwall wants the work she contributes to and the interventions she runs to help folks affected by environmental issues to become more resilient so they may 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 the problem.

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. She is interested in motivation and emotion regulation to help hold individual efforts with environmental issues. She plans to examine the extent to which meditation interventions might improve individual outcomes in assisting with emotion regulation in response to ecological decline and in strengthening a sense of connection with nature.

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.