Maia Pearl Szalavitz (born March 29, 1965) is an American reporter and author who focuses on science, public policy and addiction treatment.

She has written many other books including Born for Love: Why Empathy is Essential – and Endangered (Morrow, 2010) and The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog (Basic, 2006), both coauthored with Dr. Bruce D. Perry; and co-authored Recovery Options: The Complete Guide with Dr. Joseph Volpicelli.

Paul Raeburn at Knight Science Journalism at MIT called her "the best writer I know of on addiction and related issues.

Szalavitz is an investigative reporter for Time magazine, and since 2004 has been a senior fellow at George Mason University's media watchdog group Statistical Assessment Service.

In March 2016, her book Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction was published[4] by St. Martin's Press.