Sharon Dekel, PhD

Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital

Dr. Sharon Dekel is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School and the founding Director of the Postpartum Traumatic Stress Disorders Program in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). She is internationally recognized as a leading expert on childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder (CB-PTSD), with NIH-funded research that has transformed understanding of maternal mental health and informed new approaches to prevention and care. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University.

Dr. Dekel’s multidisciplinary work integrates clinical and developmental psychology, psychophysiology, neuroscience, and computational methods to advance early identification and treatment of women at risk for psychopathology following traumatic childbirth. She leads large-scale clinical and translational studies aimed at defining the psychological and biological signatures of CB-PTSD and related maternal–infant bonding impairments. In parallel, she develops innovative methods for screening women at risk and directs clinical trials testing novel early preventive treatment approaches designed to mitigate trauma responses and promote recovery in the postpartum period. Her research extends globally, with ongoing collaborations in Africa and the Middle East addressing maternal mental health in trauma-exposed regions. Collectively, her work contributes to the broader science of trauma and resilience by elucidating how acute stress can evolve into chronic psychopathology and how early interventions may foster adaptation and healing.

Dr. Dekel has received numerous awards for scientific and mentoring excellence, including the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Young Investigator Awards, MGH Claflin Distinguished Scholar Award, MGH Executive Committee on Research Awards, Harvard Mind Brain Behavior Faculty Award, Harvard Shirley Driscoll Dean’s Leadership Award for the Enhancement of Women’s Careers, and the Postpartum Support International Award for Innovation in Perinatal Psychiatry Research.

Her research has been featured in NPR, NBC News, The Atlantic, Psychology Today, Harper’s Bazaar, and Goop, among others. Dr. Dekel serves as Chair of the Postpartum Trauma Special Interest Group of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) and as a Board Member of the International Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental Health. In addition to her academic leadership, she maintains a private clinical practice specializing in perinatal mental health and trauma-informed care.