Remembering Dr. Sharon Carlson Wilsnack

UND faculty and staff will recall the name Sharon Wilsnack, Ph.D., a long-time faculty at UND’s School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS), who passed away on Dec. 5, 2025, at age 82. Sharon’s full obituary was only recently made available online.

Born July 31, 1943, and raised in Manhattan, Kan., Sharon attended Kansas State University and completed a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Harvard University in 1972. At Harvard, Sharon met her husband, Richard, began a family, and began studying the relationship between women and alcohol that led to publications, books, and international acclaim. Having spent the bulk of her career at UND, Sharon was named a UND Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor in 1989. She retired in 2017.

The SMHS Dean’s Office extends its condolences to Dr. Wilsnack’s family, friends, and former colleagues. A memorial service will be held Sunday, April 12, at 1 p.m. at the McNamara Alumni Center in Minneapolis, Minn.