Her practice and research examined the consequences of intimate partner violence (IPV) among pregnant and parenting women, specifically the effects of IPV on the physical and mental health of pregnant women, infants, and very young children. She published numerous articles on improving reproductive health and reducing violence among African American women. Dr. Sharps was Principal Investigator for a $3.5 million, five-year research grant funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)—the groundbreaking Domestic Violence Enhanced Home Visitation (DOVE)—that tested whether a public health nurse home visit intervention could reduce effects of IPV among pregnant women and their newborns. A second, five-year NIH/NCID $4.2 million grant, Perinatal Nurse Home Visitation Enhanced with mHealth, tested the use of computer tablets for screening and intervening for IPV in the home. In 2009, Dr. Sharps gave testimony before the U.S. Congress and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on the need to reform health care to provide better access to evidence-based nursing practice for pregnant women and new mothers. She was appointed to the Institute of Medicine (now National Academy of Medicine) Board on Military and Veterans Health and the IOM Committees on the Qualifications of Professionals Providing Mental Health Counseling Services under TRICARE. Dr. Sharps was inducted into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame in 2013, and in 2015 earned the Visionary Pioneer Award from the University of Maryland School of Nursing.