Faculty

Carla A Mazefsky, PhD

Carla A Mazefsky, PhD

Nancy J. Minshew, MD Chair in Autism Research and Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Clinical and Translational Science

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email
Website
REAACT
Assistant
Katharine Zeglen
zeglenkn2@upmc.edu

Education & Training

PhD
Child Clinical Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University
Clinical Psychology, Brown University School of Medicine
Clinical Psychology, Brown University School of Medicine
Psychiatric Genetics, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University
Clinical Psychology, Virginia Treatment Center for Children, Virginia Commonwealth University

Professional Affiliations

Member, International Society for Autism Research

Selected Honors & Awards

Slifka/Ritvo Award for Innovation in Autism Research, International Society for Autism Research and the Slifka Foundation

Research Interests

Emotion reactivity and regulation; Measure development; Suicide in autism
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Beck KB, MacKenzie KT, Kumar T, Breitenfeldt KE, Chang J, Conner CM, Mandell DS, White SW, Mazefsky CA. The world's really not set up for the neurodivergent person: Understanding emotion dysregulation from the perspective of autistic adults. Autism in Adulthood. 2024 online first.
  2. Northrup JB, Goodwin MS, Peura CB, Chen Q, Taylor BJ, Siegel MS, Mazefsky CA. Mapping the time course of overt emotion dysregulation, self-injurious behavior, and aggression in psychiatrically hospitalized autistic youth: A naturalistic study. Autism Res. 2022 Oct 25;15(10):1855-1867. PMID: 35751466.
  3. Conner CM, White SW, Beck KB, Golt J, Smith IC, Mazefsky CA. Improving emotion regulation ability in autism: The Emotion Awareness and Skills Enhancement (EASE) program. Autism. 2019 Jul;23(5):1273-1287. PMID: 30400749.
  4. Mazefsky CA, Yu L, White SW, Siegel M, Pilkonis PA. The Emotion Dysregulation Inventory: Psychometric properties and item response theory calibration in an autism spectrum disorder sample. Autism Res. 2018 Jun;11(6):928-941. PMID: 29624893.
  5. Mazefsky CA, Herrington J, Siegel M, Scarpa A, Maddox B, Scahill L, White SW. The role of emotion regulation in autism spectrum disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2013 Jul; 52(7):679-688.

Clinical Interests

Emotion reactivity and regulation; Adolescence and adulthood in autism; Outcome measurement
Selected Clinical Publications & Products
  1. Conner CM, Ionadi A, Mazefsky CA. Recent Research Points to a Clear Conclusion: Autistic People are Thinking About, and Dying by, Suicide at High Rates. Positive Approaches. 2023 Nov; (12) 3: 69-76. https://www.myodp.org/mod/book/view.php? id=48947&chapterid=1055

Education Interests

Research mentorship; Clinical psychology intern mentorship; Medical student/resident/fellow education

Pitt Psychiatry Awarded $11.5M National Institute of Mental Health Center Grant Focused on Investigating Emotional and Mental Health in Autistic Adults

ACE Center Grant Investigators

The National Institute of Mental Health has awarded the University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry an Autism Center of Excellence (P50) grant to fund “Mental Health in Autistic Adults: An RDoC Approach.” The University of Pittsburgh Autism Center of Excellence (ACE) will be led by Carla Mazefsky, PhD (Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Clinical and Translational Science). The University of Pittsburgh...

A Naturalistic Study of Emotion Dysregulation, Self-injurious Behavior & Aggression in Autistic Youth

Investigators including Jessie Northrup, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry), and Carla Mazefsky, PhD (Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology), from Pitt Psychiatry, have conducted a study of how emotion dysregulation—challenges in modulating the intensity and duration of emotional reactions—may relate to aggressive or self-injurious behaviors in autistic individuals. The study, published in Autism Research...

The Department of Psychiatry’s 20th Annual Research Day

The 20th annual Department of Psychiatry Research Day on June 9, 2022, represented a joyful reunion for more than 400 faculty members, trainees, and staff, who had not attended a large in-person event together since 2019. The morning session featured 110 posters at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. In the afternoon, attendees gathered across the street at the University...

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Promotes Carla Mazefsky, PhD, to Professor of Psychiatry

Carla Mazefsky, PhD

We are delighted to announce that Carla Mazefsky, PhD, has been promoted to Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Mazefsky earned her PhD in clinical psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University, having completed her clinical internship at the Brown University School of Medicine. She remained at Virginia Commonwealth University for postdoctoral training at the Virginia...