Carla Sharp

Dr. Carla Sharp serves as John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Clinical Psychology and Associate Dean for Faculty and Research at the University of Houston, where she also directs the Adolescent Diagnosis Assessment Prevention and Treatment (ADAPT) Center and the Developmental Psychopathology Lab. She maintains significant international academic connections through adjunct positions at University College London in the United Kingdom and the University of the Free State in South Africa.

Dr. Sharp's scholarly work has fundamentally advanced scientific understanding of personality pathology in youth, with particular emphasis on borderline personality disorder in adolescents. Her research spans developmental trajectories of personality disorders, innovative assessment methods, evidence-based treatments (particularly mentalization-based approaches), and implementation science. She has made seminal contributions to understanding how mentalization—the capacity to understand one's own and others' mental states—relates to personality development and psychopathology in adolescence.

Her extensive publication record includes over 280 peer-reviewed publications, chapters, and books that have shaped clinical understanding and practice in adolescent mental health. Dr. Sharp has received numerous prestigious awards recognizing her contributions to the field, including the Mid-Career Investigator Award from the North American Society for the Study of Personality Disorders and the Award for Achievement in the Field of Severe Personality Disorders from the Borderline Personality Disorder Resource Center. She currently serves as President of the International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders and Associate Editor of the American Psychological Association journal Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment.

• Mid-Career Investigator Award from the North American Society for the Study of Personality Disorders
• Award for Achievement in the Field of Severe Personality Disorders from the Borderline Personality Disorder Resource Center
• President of the International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders
• Associate Editor of Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment

As Associate Dean for Faculty and Research, Dr. Sharp contributes to academic leadership while maintaining active research programs through her ADAPT Center and Developmental Psychopathology Lab. Her work bridges research and practice, translating scientific findings into effective clinical interventions for adolescents with complex mental health needs.