Carla Sharp, PhD, is Professor in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at the University of Houston (UH), and Interim Associate Dean for Faculty and Research. She is also Director of Adolescent Diagnosis Assessment Prevention and Treatment (ADAPT) Center at UH and directs the Developmental Psychopathology Lab at UH. As a developmental psychopathologist, she makes use of multiple methods across different levels of analyses to understand, detect, and treat emotional and behaviour problems in children and adolescents with a specific focus on attachment, social-cognitive and socio-emotional development. As a South African citizen and a child clinical psychologist, she has a longstanding interest in addressing these issues in children in resource-limited settings where children are at high risk for developing mental health problems as a result of attachment disruption and trauma. The HIV/AIDS epidemic created a tragic natural experiment that sheds light on socio-emotional and socio-cognitive development in the context of losing a primary caregiver. Since 2008, Dr Sharps research has been continuously funded in South Africa to study the effects of losing a parent due to HIV/AIDS. It is in this context that Dr Sharp became acquainted with the Mediational Intervention for Sensitizing Caregivers (MISC), which was evaluated in a recent trial in South Africa funded by the NICHD. She has published over 270 peer-reviewed publications (H-index 61), numerous chapters and books.

Lochner Marais, PhD, is Professor of Development Studies and Acting Director of the Centre for Development Support (University of the Free State, South Africa). Maraiss research interests cover three different, though related, themes: housing policy, small urban areas and public health (including his work on OVC). He has authored, co-authored and compiled more than 250 research reports, including more than 180 refereed articles in peer-reviewed journals or books (H-index 26). He has also co-edited eight books (two previous ones with Routledge). His work on OVC includes collaborative projects with Professor Sharp funded by the NICHD and projects funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates and Huffman Foundations.

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