In the first ‘Community Case Studies’ series blog of 2025, we speak to Katelyn Cooper from Arizona State University about mental health in academia in light of her recent paper with PLOS Mental Health
Please tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into this field of research
[KC]: I’m an assistant professor and undergraduate/graduate biology education researcher in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University. I became interested in studying mental health in academic science during my first job out of college as an academic advisor in a biology department. In talking to undergraduates, the toll that mental health can have on people’s experience in academia became apparent. Yet, at the time, very few people were willing to discuss mental health.
What are the biggest challenges for mental health in academia and how can role models help?
[KC] One of the greatest challenges is normalizing that people in academia struggle with mental illnesses and would benefit from mental health resources. Role models can help by demonstrating that one can struggle with mental health, take time to care for their mental health, and still be incredibly successful. Often undergraduates and even graduate students assume that struggling with mental health will prevent them from being successful in academia; and yet, we have many examples of faculty with depression and anxiety who can combat that assumption. By promoting more conversations about mental health in academia, we can prevent people from struggling in silence and open the door for discussions about interventions to support students, staff, and faculty.
Role models can help by demonstrating that one can struggle with mental health, take time to care for their mental health, and still be incredibly successful
Have there been any notable changes in the last 5-10 years with respect to how academia views mental health?
[KC] Like much of the world, academia seemed to be more aware of the importance of mental health after the COVID-19 pandemic, but the primary focus has been on students. There were many news articles highlighting how undergraduate and graduate students were struggling, but very little focus on the experience of academic faculty and staff.
Where do you hope this ideally goes over the next 10 years?
[KC] Undergraduate and graduate mental health is well documented, but there need to be assessments of the state of mental health among academic faculty and staff. Additionally, we need interventions to promote mental health in academia; both interventions that are geared toward individuals and interventions that seek to change aspects of academia that exacerbate mental health problems. By developing and assessing these interventions, we will be on our way to a healthier academic community.
…we need interventions to promote mental health in academia; both interventions that are geared toward individuals and interventions that seek to change aspects of academia that exacerbate mental health problems
What is being done in your community to drive progress?
[KC] Unfortunately, there are few national and international communities for people who want to promote mental health in academia. However, my lab recently started the International Science Postgraduate Mental Health Alliance (MHA) for graduate students and postdocs who are interested in advocating for and developing initiatives to bolster mental health in academia. On launch day, we had over 200 members join, which signifies the need for these types of communities. We are always looking for new members, so we encourage interested graduate students and postdocs to sign up! We are looking forward to building a faculty-focused community in the near future!
***Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this blog are those of Katelyn Cooper and do not necessarily reflect the views of PLOS or PLOS Mental Health
The post PLOS Mental Health Community Case Studies: Mental Health & Role Models in Academia appeared first on Speaking of Medicine and Health.
