Anu Sharma is a Senior Research Scientist at the BARR Center. Anu was the original evaluator for the BARR model in 1999 and has been integral to testing its effectiveness over the past 20 years. Anu has nearly 30 years of experience in conducting evaluations through her employment at Education Development Center, Inc., Minnesota Institute of Public Health, and Search Institute. She has also served as Co-Investigator for the Sibling Interaction and Behavior Study at the University of Minnesota’ Center for Twin and Family Research.
She has evaluated educational initiatives, community health promotion projects, and conducted basic research on the mental health of adopted adolescents. She also held a license in psychology for over 25 years and worked clinically with adolescents from varied different cultures and countries. She has published in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Behavior Genetics, Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse, Evaluation Review, Applied Developmental Science, Child Development, Developmental Psychology, Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Psychological Bulletin, and Journal of Counseling and Development, among others. Most recently, Anu was invited to author a chapter in the second edition of the American Psychological Association’s Handbook of Psychotherapy and Religious Diversity.