Melissa S. Dale is an associate professor in the Department of History at the University of San Francisco. Her passion is teaching East Asian history to undergraduate students. She joined the department in January 2025 after leading the Center for Asia Pacific Studies from 2012-2024. Melissa also edits Asia Pacific Perspectives, the center’s academic journal that promotes cross-cultural understanding. Her Ph.D. is in History, with a focus China, from Georgetown University. She has an MA in Asian Languages from Stanford University, and a BA in Oriental Languages from UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on the history of late imperial China exploring Qing dynasty court life, especially eunuchs, and the history of medicine and gender.