Malitta Engstrom

Malitta Engstrom is an Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy & Practice, where she focuses on substance use and its intersections with criminal justice involvement, victimization, HIV, and mental health. Her research has been funded by prestigious institutions including the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the John A. Hartford Foundation, and the Penn Center for AIDS Research. Her groundbreaking work on childhood sexual abuse and HIV risk behaviors among women in methadone treatment earned recognition from the Society for Social Work and Research in 2017. With over 15 years of teaching experience in social work practice, she received the Excellence in Teaching Award for Standing Faculty in 2014 and 2015. Before joining Penn, she held appointments at the University of Chicago and Columbia University, where she earned her PhD in social work with distinction as a National Institute of Mental Health National Research Service Awardee. Her extensive clinical experience includes working with individuals, couples, families, and groups, which informs her teaching and scholarship focused on developing and testing interventions to address intersecting concerns in vulnerable populations.