Assessing and Addressing Environmental Disparities to Improve Psychological Well-Being

Dr. Kim Meidenbauer is Assistant Professor at Washington State University’s Department of Psychology, Health Equity Research Center. During our January 2023 Community Dinner, Kim examined how features of the physical and social environment affect individuals’ brains and their behavior. Currently, she studies how heat exposure can lead to deleterious psychological outcomes and antisocial behaviors, and how greenspace interventions can be used to buffer against these negative outcomes. Her research employs an environmental justice lens, working with community organizations to examine how place-based interventions may address the compounding effects of economic marginalization and environmental racism. She is also interested in the creation and validation of research methods that allow us to “take the lab outside”, via browser-based tasks, mobile neuroimaging (fNIRS), and experience sampling techniques.

Bio

Kim joined WSU in January 2023 after completing a postdoctoral position at the University of Chicago. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology, specializing in Integrative Neuroscience, from the University of Chicago in 2020. She received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2012.

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