Dr. Melissa Salm earned her Ph.D. in Sociocultural Anthropology with an emphasis in science and technology studies from UC Davis. In support of her thesis, Dr. Salm conducted multi-sited fieldwork across Peru, examining how the 'One Health' model was incorporated into epidemiological field investigations of zoonoses and integrated into global health governance tools for systematizing global health security capacities across the Americas. Her research was funded by the NIH-FIC, for which she conducted a qualitative study identifying the definitions, practices, and visions of 'global health' among PI's in Latin America and the Caribbean compared to those of PI's in North America.

In her research, Dr. Salm examines conceptualizations and operationalizations of risk in the biosciences and biosecurity management. Her guiding questions are: in what concrete ways do controversial techniques for predicting viral risks, such as GOF/PPP, translate into effective pandemic preparedness and response measures? What tools must be invented and standardized to facilitate coordinated institutional responses to public health threats and to move pro-actively from a state of preparedness to response?