Sameena V. Azhar

Sameena V. Azhar is an Associate Professor at Fordham University's Graduate School of Social Service. With nearly two decades of experience in mental health, addiction, and HIV care, she is a licensed clinical social worker in California and Illinois. Her career spans institutions like San Francisco General Hospital, the California HIV/STD Prevention Training Center, and the Mamta Health Institute in New Delhi, India.

• University of California, Berkeley (B.A., College of Arts and Sciences)
• University of Pennsylvania (M.P.H., Perelman School of Medicine; M.S.W., School of Social Policy & Practice)
• University of Chicago (M.A. and Ph.D., School of Social Service Administration)

Guided by critical race theory and postcolonial feminism, her research examines:

• Gender, HIV, and sex work
• Race, health, and criminal legal involvement
• Social work practice with intersectionally marginalized communities

Her recent publications address food insecurity in the Bronx, Khwaja Sira financial dynamics in Pakistan, and racism against Asian Americans during the pandemic.

Scientific recognition includes the 2021 Affilia Award for Distinguished Feminist Scholarship and the 2023 American Institute of Pakistan Studies Fellowship. She has secured grants from SAMHSA, NIDA, and the Ford Foundation for her work on HIV prevention, transgender health, and community food security.

Awarded a 2022 Faber Residency for migration-themed writing, she teaches courses in international social development, clinical assessment, and substance use disorders. Her career bridges clinical practice, global health equity, and structural critiques of power and privilege.