| Institute for Planetary Health Behaviour, Faculty of Philosophy, Seminar für Medien- und Kommunikationswissenschaft, Research, Personalia

Franz Emanuel Weinert Prize for Professor Cornelia Betsch

Cornelia Betsch, Professor of Health Communication and Director of the Institute for Planetary Health Behaviour at the University of Erfurt, is to be honoured with the Franz-Emanuel-Weinert Prize by the German Psychological Society (DGPs). In doing so, the DGPs recognises her outstanding scientific contributions to our understanding of human judgement and decision-making processes in the context of health and sustainability behaviour, as well as her exceptional commitment to evidence-based research communication in the field of planetary health. The prize will be presented at the DGPs Congress on 7 September 2026 in Luxembourg.

Prof. Dr. Cornelia Betsch
© Enver Hirsch
Professor Cornelia Betsch

“Cornelia Betsch combines excellent research with high social relevance. Her work makes a significant contribution to a better understanding of human decision-making behaviour and to making scientific findings accessible to policymakers, practitioners and the general public,” emphasises DGPs President Eva-Lotta Brakemeier.

Professor Cornelia Betsch’s research focuses on how people make decisions in the context of health and sustainability, and how individual behaviour is influenced by social and institutional frameworks. On this basis, she develops evidence-based interventions that support people in making informed decisions. In the view of the jury and the DGPs Executive Board, her internationally pioneering research into vaccination decisions is particularly noteworthy. The models and measurement tools developed by Cornelia Betsch and her team to understand vaccination behaviour are now among the world’s leading scientific tools and are used, amongst others, by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in health communication.

In recent years, the psychologist has consistently expanded her research to address further issues relating to planetary health. Among other things, she is investigating how the responsible use of antibiotics can be promoted and how climate-friendly behaviour can be effectively encouraged. Her influence extends far beyond the academic context: as a sought-after expert in the media and politics, she is particularly committed to research communication and the transfer of scientific findings into practice. She contributes her expertise to numerous high-level committees, including the German Government’s COVID-19 Expert Council, various Technical Advisory Groups of WHO Europe and, since 2024, the German Ethics Council. She also regularly explains complex scientific concepts in an accessible way to a broad public in leading print and TV media.

DGPs President Eva-Lotta Brakemeier: “Through her research, her commitment to evidence-based research communication and her successful translation of psychological findings into society and politics, Cornelia Betsch exemplifies a form of psychology that combines scientific excellence with societal impact. She is therefore an extremely worthy recipient of the Franz-Emanuel-Weinert Prize.”

The prize winner:

Cornelia Betsch is director of the Institute for Planetary Health Behaviour at the University of Erfurt, which examines climate health and the climate crisis from an interdisciplinary perspective drawing on the social and behavioural sciences. Betsch is a psychologist and Professor of Health Communication at the University of Erfurt. She also heads the Health Communication Research Group at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) in Hamburg. Her research focuses on health- and climate-friendly behaviour, for example, the willingness to take action against the climate crisis, the prudent use of antibiotics and vaccination behaviour. In doing so, she also broadens her focus to other continents, for example in her research into the prudent use of antibiotics or vaccination behaviour in various African countries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she initiated the COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring (COSMO), which was adapted in over 40 countries worldwide on the recommendation of the WHO; and subsequently the Planetary Health Action Survey (PACE). These large-scale studies regularly yield insights into people’s knowledge, risk perception, protective behaviour and trust regarding the respective crises, which contribute to discourse in society and politics. In 2017, Betsch launched Germany’s first master's programme in Health Communication and has since been responsible for teaching the fundamentals of health communication and methodological training. In 2021, she was awarded the German Psychology Prize and, in 2022, the Thuringian Research Prize. Betsch was a member of the Federal Chancellery’s COVID-19 Expert Council. She is currently a member of the German Ethics Council and the Thuringian Advisory Board on Climate Protection and Adaptation to Climate Change. She also sits on the scientific advisory board of the Science Media Centre Germany. At the BNITM, she established the WHO Collaborating Centre for Behavioural Research in Global Health (BRIGHT), where she and her team support the WHO in its work to improve health for all through social and behavioural science insights. Her research is funded by independent research funding organisations, government departments and foundations.

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