Bodour Salhia

Dr. Bodour Salhia is an Associate Professor of Cancer Biology and Royce and Mary Trotter Chair in Cancer Research at the University of Southern California. She serves as Interim Chair of the Department of Cancer Biology. Her research focuses on translational genomics and epigenomics, particularly in understanding mechanisms of tumorigenesis and tumor biology. Key areas include DNA methylation profiling for liquid biopsies, breast cancer recurrence prediction, and experimental therapeutics for brain metastasis using patient-derived xenograft models. She has pioneered studies on breast cancer in North African populations and led initiatives to develop cfDNA-based diagnostic tools.

Dr. Salhia’s community engagement includes roles with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Arizona affiliate, the Arizona Myeloma Network, and work with underserved Navajo communities. She received the 2014 Phoenix Business Journal Top 40 under 40 award and was recognized as a Komen ‘Face of Hope.’ Her lab’s current projects include validating a DNA methylation-based liquid biopsy for breast cancer recurrence detection and investigating tumor microenvironment dynamics in brain metastases.

• Research Themes: Genomic instability, metastasis mechanisms, epigenetic biomarkers
• Labs/Teams: Salhia Lab (specializing in cancer genomics and translational research)
• Key Technologies: Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing, patient-derived xenograft models, cfDNA analysis