Professor
Graduate Program Coordinator
Curriculum Co-Chair
Phone: (619) 594-5966
Office: HH 205
Email: engstrom@sdsu.edu
Download CV (pdf)
Education
- PhD, University of Chicago, 1992
- MSW, University of Chicago, 1983
- BA, Wesleyan University, 1980
Scholarly Areas
international social work, cross-border and immigration issues, survivors of torture, vicarious resilience
Biography
David W. Engstrom, PhD, MA, is a Professor of Social Work at San Diego State University and the Bua Luang ASEAN Chair at the College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand. His research focuses on immigration policy and services to immigrants and refugees. Dr. Engstrom has written extensively on the plight of vulnerable immigrant populations, such as torture survivors, trafficked persons, and migrant workers, and has explored the role of bilingual social workers in service delivery. Dr. Engstrom co-developed the concept of vicarious resilience which recognizes the positive effect of trauma work on therapists, and has co-authored six articles refining its conceptual development. He is presently developing a culturally reflexive trauma assessment scale to better document the suffering of human trafficking survivors in Thailand. Dr. Engstrom has received several awards for his international work: CSWE’s Partners in Advancing Education for International Social Work (PIE) in 2017 and SDSU’s Outstanding International Scholar in 2016.
