Kate Okker-Edging

Kate Okker-Edging’s research centers around social media and mental health, with the goal of improving mental health for youth/young adults and LGBTQ+ people. She also researches the impact of health communication campaigns on health outcomes.

Kate Okker-Edging is a doctoral student at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. She investigates the relationship between social media and mental health, focusing on how social media platforms can be leveraged to improve mental health outcomes. She is particularly interested in youth/young adults and LGBTQ+ mental health communication.

Okker-Edging received an M.P.H. and an M.A. in Journalism (concentration in Strategic Communication) from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She has a B.A. in International Relations and Arabic from Tufts University. Prior to Annenberg, she worked as a researcher at Fors Marsh Group, where she conducted research on health communication campaigns and messaging.