Tara Kirk Sell, MA
Analyst

Area of Professional Expertise: Human Biology, Anthropological Science 

Ms. Sell is an analyst at the Center for Biosecurity of UPMC. She conducts research and analysis in support of center programs and serves as an Associate Editor of the peer-reviewed journal, Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science.

Prior to joining the Center Ms. Sell maintained a career as a professional athlete. She was a member of the USA national swim team for 8 years, and she served as captain for 6 USA national swim teams. In 2004 she broke the world record in the 100 breaststroke (Short Course Meters), and she earned a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Ms. Sell received a BA in Human Biology and a MA in Anthropological Sciences from Stanford University in 2005. Her master’s thesis, Reflections: Using H5N1 Avian Influenza to Investigate the Pandemic of 1918 explored parallels between H5N1 Avian influenza and 1918 H1N1 influenza. In 2005 she was a Rhodes Scholar finalist.