Bodour Salhia, PhD, Professor, Interim Chair Department of Cancer Biology Royce and Mary Trotter Chair in Cancer Research, Keck School of Medicine University of Southern California
Dr. Bodour Salhia is the Inaugural Interim Chair of the Department of Cancer Biology and the Royce and Mary Trotter Chair in Cancer Research at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC). She also serves as Co-Leader of the Epigenetic Regulation in Cancer Program and Inaugural Director of the Preclinical Models Shared Resource at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. Salhia is a cancer biologist and translational scientist whose research integrates cell biology, cancer genomics and epigenomics to address clinically unmet needs. Her primary focus is on developing cfDNA methylation-based liquid biopsy tools for early cancer detection and minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring. Her team developed OvaPrint, a novel cfDNA methylation assay for early detection of ovarian cancer, and MammaTrace, a tumor-naïve liquid biopsy assay for MRD detection in breast cancer. These efforts reflect her broader commitment to precision diagnostics and noninvasive cancer monitoring.
Dr. Salhia earned her BSc, MHSc, and PhD from the University of Toronto and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in genomics and epigenomics at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen). She is a fellow of the ELAM (Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine) program and a recipient of the 2024 USC Academic Senate Distinguished Faculty Service Award.
She is also the Founder of CpG Diagnostics, a precision diagnostics company focused on cfDNA methylation-based technologies for women’s cancers. Passionate about community impact, Dr. Salhia founded The Bench with Bedside Initiative, a direct-to-patient research engagement program, and has led outreach efforts both in the US and abroad.
Dr. Salhia is a cancer biologist and translational scientist whose research integrates cell biology, cancer genomics and epigenomics to address clinically unmet needs. Her primary focus is on developing cfDNA methylation-based liquid biopsy tools for early cancer detection and minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring. Her team developed OvaPrint, a novel cfDNA methylation assay for early detection of ovarian cancer, and MammaTrace, a tumor-naïve liquid biopsy assay for MRD detection in breast cancer. These efforts reflect her broader commitment to precision diagnostics and noninvasive cancer monitoring.
Dr. Salhia earned her BSc, MHSc, and PhD from the University of Toronto and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in genomics and epigenomics at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen). She is a fellow of the ELAM (Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine) program and a recipient of the 2024 USC Academic Senate Distinguished Faculty Service Award.
She is also the Founder of CpG Diagnostics, a precision diagnostics company focused on cfDNA methylation-based technologies for women’s cancers. Passionate about community impact, Dr. Salhia founded The Bench with Bedside Initiative, a direct-to-patient research engagement program, and has led outreach efforts both in the US and abroad.
