Faculty

Arghavan Salles, MD, PhD

Dr. Salles is a national leader in diversity, inclusion, and equity, having earned a PhD studying these topics at Stanford University. Dr. Salles is also a surgeon and has extensive lived experience as a woman of color working in a male-dominated environment. Dr. Salles completed medical school and residency in general surgery at Stanford prior to completing a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. After staying on faculty in St. Louis for a few years, Dr. Salles moved back to Stanford to work with the medical school on issues related to diversity and inclusion. Her research focuses broadly on gender equity, implicit bias, diversity, inclusion, and physician well-being. Her R01 grant from the NIH focuses on sexual harassment. During the pandemic, Dr. Salles has served as a disaster relief physician, caring for patients with COVID in the ICU. She is a sought-after speaker and has given over 100 national and international invited talks related to gender equity and sexual harassment in medicine.

Dr. Salles is a prolific researcher and writer, having had her work published in prominent medical journals such as JAMA, The Lancet, and JAMA Surgery. She also writes for broad audiences through outlets such as USA Today, TIME Magazine, and the Washington Post. She is passionate about helping workplaces better support marginalized people. She currently serves as the Special Advisor for DEI Programs at the Stanford University Department of Medicine where she is a Clinical Associate Professor.