Dr. Wael Salem is dedicated to bringing the most current and evidence-based medicine to patients. Underlying his scientific and academic background is a belief that shared decision-making is central to any successful care plan.

He is Board-Certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and in Obstetrics and Gynecology. His research publications and interests include fertility for cancer patients, PCOS, fertility preservation (egg freezing) and preimplantation genetic testing for hereditary genetic diseases. Dr. Salem joined CCRM Minneapolis in 2018 and relocated to the Bay Area in 2021. While in Minnesota, he trained residents in Obstetrics and Gynecology and was an adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota.

He received his undergraduate degree from the University of California in Berkeley and his medical degree from the Mayo Clinic Medical School College of Medicine. During his residency for Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of California in San Francisco, Dr. Salem received the Outstanding Resident in Minimally Invasive Gynecology award. Dr. Salem also holds two Master’s degrees – one in Public Health from the University of Cambridge (UK) and the second is in Clinical, Biomedical and Translational Investigations from the University of Southern California.

In addition to presenting his research at prestigious medical conferences around the globe, Dr. Salem has authored numerous publications for notable peer-reviewed journals. He is currently on the editorial board for Human Reproduction. He was recently named a Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine Rising Star and a 2021 Castle Connolly Rising Star. He has been named a Top Doctor by Castle Connolly since 2021.

He is fluent in Arabic, French and conversational in Spanish. In his spare time, he enjoys playing tennis, hiking, traveling and trying new cuisines.

What Patients Are Saying About Dr. Salem

“I was diagnosed with severe diminished ovarian reserve at age 37. After infertility, a miscarriage and failed IUI’s through my OB’s clinic, we chose to do IVF at CCRM because of their stellar reputation, excellent lab and success stories from friends. Dr. Salem was our reproductive endocrinologist and we were so fortunate- he was honest and straightforward about the challenges ahead of us but also positive and encouraging. I always felt completely comfortable talking with him. Also, I knew that he was truly invested in our success- that he was doing everything possible to make our dream a reality. Due to my DOR, we only got 5 eggs over the course of two egg retrievals but our results in CCRM’s lab were amazing. Of those 5, we had 3 make it to blast for chromosomal testing- which is astounding. Of those three, one came back normal. The stakes were high, but Dr. Salem did our transfer and placed our baby in the perfect spot. Nine days later, we found out we were pregnant and thankfully, brought our son Kamden into the world on July 27, 2021. We will always be deeply grateful to science, CCRM, & Dr. Salem who helped make our miracle a reality.”

“I met with Dr. Salem after having a bad experience at another fertility clinic. He is incredibly kind and compassionate. He is also incredibly smart and up to date on the latest information about fertility treatments. He worked really hard to get me the maximum number of eggs for freezing and tailored my treatment plan specifically to my issues (I ended up getting nearly double the number of eggs that I got at the previous clinic!) I sent my sister to him also because I was so impressed with his services.”

“Dr. Salem is among the very best of the best. I come to him with an incredibly complex history in attempts of creating a family of my own for nearly 8 years. I am beyond grateful for his expertise and have a new found hope of having a healthy baby in the very near future. I highly recommend Dr. Salem as most importantly, he is an incredible listener, who will go above and beyond to find solutions. I have not found a solutions oriented specialist in years and I work in healthcare! If you are wanting a solutions oriented REI who truly delivers personalized care, look no further! Thank you, Dr.Salem!”

“I cannot thank Dr. Salem and all the nurses and staff at CCRM Minneapolis enough for their help. We went to another clinic before coming here. Proceeding with CCRM was the best decision we could ever make. You are a person here not a number and Dr Salem explains things in a way you can understand without speaking down to you. Pregnant on our first try!”

“I highly recommend CCRM and Dr Salem. Really tailored experience. He is incredibly knowledgeable. I would recommend not putting around with fertility testing with just anyone. He is a reproductive endocrinologist. If you need help getting pregnant and want to know that you have tried with the best, he is the way to go. No regrets. I work in the medical field, and I feel really good about his care and the quality of his staff.”

“After experiencing a miscarriage in June and feeling so sad and scared, my husband and I wanted to avoid this fate again. We also knew that time was not on our side as we are 40 years old and didn’t have much time to waist in starting our family. We were fortunate enough to have conceived naturally on our first try, but wanted to ensure we would have the highest chances of becoming parents as possible. I had been talking with another clinic for several months. We even had conversations prior to conceiving as a proactive step due to my age. I wasn’t very impressed with the clinic due to their very cookie cutter approach and their strong advisements against me ever trying naturally based only on my age. I was disappointed and felt a little hopeless in finding a doctor and clinic we could trust. We really wanted to work with a team that provided top of the line results, provided personalized treatment, and took the time to answer my millions of questions. I was a part of several over 40 IVF groups at the time—one of the members in one of the groups wrote about how CCRM has state-of-the-art protocols, personalized care, she loved her doctor and the results were industry leading. I immediately sent her a message asking about her clinic. At first, I was disappointed that it was all the way in Colorado—and even contemplated traveling there. After looking CCRM up online, I discovered they were nationwide and even had a clinic fairly close to me. I immediately reached out to see if we could get on their schedule for a video with a doctor. To my absolute surprise, they got me in within just a few weeks for a complementary video appointment with Dr. Salem (I had to wait 4+ months for a call with a doctor at the other clinic and pay over $200 for the phone call). My husband and I loved Dr. Salem, he listened to our concerns, shared how he was going to run a robust list of thorough tests and exams to create the most customized care for us. After all of our results came back, we together decided to move forward with one round of an egg retrieval (and sperm) to hopefully produce one or two quality embryos to store while we return back to trying naturally. The entire process was absolutely impeccable. My nurse, Margaret was on the phone with me every day, her co-nurse, Lisa was there for me anytime I needed as well, Dr. Salem called me several times during the process and personally performed serval ultrasounds and procedures during the process. Dr. Salem even called me the day before the egg retrieval to talk me through what to expect, as another doctor he worked with was going to perform the procedure. My nurse communicated with the Pharmacy for me to ensure every time my doses were changed–to accommodate my progress–they had the medication ready for me. To be honest, even though I wanted to do this, I was terrified about all the unknowns, Dr. Salem would schedule extra video appointments with me to talk about all my fears and answer more questions. We were so fortunate to have had the absolute best care, with the most customized protocol, the most brilliant team of doctors (specifically Dr. Salem), nurses (specifically Margaret), front staff team (just all so amazing), techs (absolutely incredible), embryologists (yielding top of the line outcomes) and even our anesthesiologists was amazing! We ended up with: 21 eggs retrieved, 19 mature, 13 fertilized, 8 blast, and 3 genetically normal embryos. Dr. Salem also encouraged us to stay with his vitamin protocol and to try again naturally after my ovaries were ready, we were able to do so and I am currently 13 1/2 weeks pregnant with a healthy girl. We thought we would maybe have a chance at one child, now we are dreaming and feeling hopeful about the possibility of 2, thanks to Dr. Salem and our incredible CCRM family!”

“CCRM Minneapolis is the state of art facility for your reproductive treatments. Dr. Salem is the most amazing, compassionate, and caring human being you would meet. My husband and I had the privilege of working with him and his expertise and talent were top notch in helping us achieve our goal of becoming parents. But beyond that, the human element that he bring into this doctor-patient relationship is the most rewarding part of the experience at CCRM. Every single staff at CCRM Minneapolis cared about our journey and made us feel like we are part of a family that is the there to help and support us. We are forever grateful for the experience at CCRM Minneapolis, and send our most sincere gratitude to Dr. Salem!”

“I had a great/ smooth experience with Dr Salem, Magarete and the whole CCRM team for egg freezing and IVF. I am pregnant 9 weeks now! Would def recommend this clinic and Dr Salem.”