Wael Salem, MD

About

Wael Salem’s training ran through five institutions on both sides of the Atlantic before he ever met a fertility patient. He earned his medical degree at Mayo Medical School, after undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley. His obstetrics and gynecology residency at UC San Francisco came with two peer-selected honors — best resident teacher and best resident minimally invasive surgeon. He then subspecialized in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the University of Southern California, earning a Master’s in Biomedical Sciences there as well, and holds a Master of Public Health (MPhil) from the University of Cambridge.

He is dual board-certified, in Obstetrics and Gynecology and in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Before joining New Direction Fertility Centers he practiced in Minnesota and California, where he was also recognized as a “Top Doctor” in both states; the clinic’s own bio says he helped hundreds of families there, a clinic-published figure our sources do not independently count.

At New Direction he is the physician assigned to the Scottsdale office: consultations, cycle monitoring and IUI run with him at 8901 E Mountain View Road, while IVF procedures are coordinated to the brand’s Gilbert laboratory. The clinic frames his approach as shared decision-making — evidence-based recommendations weighed against each patient’s own priorities and family-building goals — and he describes fertility care as a decision he makes with patients rather than for them. Outside medicine he lists tennis, photography and catching up on television with his wife and daughter.

Clinical Expertise

• IVF: his stated clinical focus at the practice, run through the brand’s Gilbert laboratory; consultations, monitoring and cycle planning happen with him in Scottsdale
• Shared decision-making: the clinic names this first among his clinical focus areas — treatment plans built around patient priorities, not a fixed template
• PCOS: polycystic ovary syndrome is both a listed focus and one of the topics of his peer-reviewed publications
• Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT): he has published and presented on PGT, the genetic-testing step many IVF patients are asked to decide on
• IVF safety and care delivery: his published work also covers the safety of IVF and optimal delivery of care in reproductive medicine
• Profile listing versus bio evidence: this page’s specialty tags include ICSI, PGT-A and female infertility, consistent with an REI practice; his own biography names IVF, PCOS, PGT and evidence-based care explicitly, and our sources attribute no procedure-level case volumes to him

Why Choose Dr. Salem

Certified on both halves of the specialty. Dual board certification in Obstetrics and Gynecology and in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility means the surgical and the hormonal sides of fertility care sit with one physician, not two.

Teaching and surgical skill recognized during training. At UCSF he was selected best resident teacher and best resident minimally invasive surgeon — the first speaks to how a consult with him is likely to run: explained, not just prescribed.

He reads the literature and helps gatekeep it. He sits on the editorial board of Human Reproduction, a reproductive-medicine journal, so the evidence base arriving in his inbox is the same field his patients ask about.

His publications match the questions patients actually get. Peer-reviewed articles and presentations on PCOS, preimplantation genetic testing, IVF safety and optimal delivery of care — not a generic list of procedures.

A stated decision model, not a slogan. Shared decision-making is how the clinic describes his consultations: recommendations plus attention to your priorities and family-building goals.

One thing to verify directly. Our sources attach no years to any of his training or practice steps, so ask for CV details if the chronology matters to you.

Professional Affiliations

Member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). Editorial board member of the journal Human Reproduction. Dual board certification in Obstetrics and Gynecology and in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Training: UC Berkeley, Mayo Medical School, UC San Francisco residency, University of Southern California subspecialty training and Master’s, University of Cambridge public-health master’s. “Top Doctor” recognition in Minnesota and California is listed in his clinic bio. Our sources record no other society offices, committee seats or named leadership roles for him.

Suitable For

• Patients who want a say in the plan: his model is shared decision-making, so expect the protocol to be explained and negotiated, not announced
• PCOS: an area of his published work and a listed clinical focus
• IVF patients weighing genetic testing: he has published on PGT and on IVF safety, directly relevant to the PGT-A decision
• Care near Scottsdale with one physician: consultation, monitoring and IUI stay local with him; retrievals and transfers are coordinated to Gilbert, which suits patients who want continuity at the consult address more than an on-site lab
• Evidence-minded patients: an editorial-board seat and peer-reviewed publications on reproductive-medicine care delivery, for those who choose physicians by their research