Research Summary

Mary Jue Xu, MD, is a head and neck surgical oncologist with expertise in endocrine surgery, transoral robotic surgery, and microvascular reconstruction at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. She holds the Focused Practice Designation in Adult Complex Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery, jointly awarded by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, recognizing advanced expertise in endocrine surgery. Through both her clinical practice and research, she is committed to improving the lives of patients with head and neck cancer and expanding access to high-quality cancer care in resource-constrained health systems.

Dr. Xu studied biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned her medical degree through the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology program. During medical school, she spent a year at Butaro Cancer Center in Rwanda studying clinical outcomes in pediatric cancer. During her otolaryngology–head and neck surgery residency at UCSF, she collaborated with Dr. Aslam Nkya, a head and neck surgeon at Muhimbili National Hospital in Tanzania, on research examining the epidemiology of human papillomavirus-associated head and neck cancers. She later co-founded the Global Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Initiative, an international research collaboration focused on strengthening global surgical care, and has led projects including a global otolaryngology workforce assessment. Her current research focuses on improving equitable access to high-quality head and neck cancer care in both the United States and low-resource settings internationally.

Education

MD, - Medical degree, Harvard Medical School
BS, - Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Residency, University of California San Francisco
- Head and Neck Oncology, Robotic Surgery, Microvascular Reconstruction Fellowship, University of Pennsylvania

Honors & Awards

  • 2024-2025
    Society of Hellman Fellows Grantee, University of California, San Francisco
  • 2022-2024
    National Clinician Scholars Program Scholarship, University of California, San Francisco
  • 2021
    University of Pennsylvania Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Pilot Grant 
  • 2020
    University of California San Francisco Resource Allocation Grant
  • 2019
    American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Humanitarian Travel Grant
  • 2019
    University of California San Francisco Resident Research Funding
  • 2012
    American Cancer Society Stone Research Fellow
     

Selected Publications

  1. Mary Jue Xu, Hannah Decker, Arianne Abreu, Rolvix H. Patterson, Hirwa Nteyumwete, Pier-Luc Beaudoin, David W. Hamilton, Aslam Nkya, Willybroad Massawe, Nicholas Correia, Furahini Yoram Paulo, Katherine Van Loon, Susan D. Emmett, Christina Reaves, Samuel Okerosi. Time to Measure: A Proposed Theoretical Model for Head and Neck Cancer Intervals of Care. View on PubMed
  2. Bhethanabotla RM, Patel N, Behnam R, Boscardin WJ, Xu MJ, Heaton C, Wai KC, Park AM, Knott PD. Social Determinants of Health in Patients Undergoing Osteocutaneous Free Flap Reconstruction for Malignant Disease of the Mandible. View on PubMed
  3. Scott Swartz, Gwynn Spielman, Samrawit Agezew, Ayo Samuel Falade, Rebecca Jane DeBoer, Mary Jue Xu, Glory Frank Makupa, Eulade Rugengamanzi, Courtney Chau, Kathy Jung, Rohan Luhar, Pariswi Tewari, Alita Mrema, Katherine Van Loon, Geoffrey Buckle. Analysis of evidence in NCCN harmonized guidelines for sub-Saharan Africa. View on PubMed
  4. Jinbing Bai, Monica Borges, Felix Nguyen-Tan, David Ira Rosenthal, Jimmy J. Caudell, Maura L. Gillison, Loren K. Mell, Deborah Watkins Bruner, Katherine Yeager, Ronald C. Eldridge, Wade Thorstad, Mary Jue Xu, Sara Medek, Michelle Echevarria, Musaddiq Awan, Dong Moon Shin, Stephanie L. Pugh, Sue S. Yom. Identifying multi-level social determinants for disparities in survival and patient-reported outcomes in national head and neck cancer trials. View on PubMed
  5. Patel NR, Jaffer F, Kahinga A, Mawala S, Xu MJ, Nkya A, Sharon J, Kim EK, Datoo-Jaffer S, Unterrieder S, Jaffer AF. The Locally Driven Temporal Bone Dissection Laboratory: A Sustainable Tool for Otologic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa. View on PubMed
  6. Husman T, Miraftab-Salo O, Ilan A, Brodie S, Paciorek A, Durr ML, Chang J, Xu MJ. Predictors of No-Show in a Safety-Net Otolaryngology Clinic: A Repeated Measures Approach. View on PubMed
  7. Xu MJ, Okerosi S, Nkya A, Van Loon K. Strategically striving to be more inclusive: A recommendation for gender-neutral human-papillomavirus vaccine policies. View on PubMed
  8. Xu MJ, Haddadi S, Mushi BP, Zhang L, Sama G, Nyagabona SK, Ng D, Muya S, Malango AE, Richard E, Ha P, Yom SS, Massawe W, Mmbaga EJ, Van Loon K, Nkya A. Treatment initiation and completion among head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients in Tanzania. BMC Res Notes. 2024 Dec 23; 17(1):380. View on PubMed
  9. Buckle GC, DeBoer R, Xu MJ, Mrema A, Rubagumya F, Velloza J, Falade AS, Van Loon K. Using context-specific evidence to inform resource-stratified cancer guidelines: A call for a new approach. Cancer. 2025 Jan 01; 131(1):e35573. View on PubMed
  10. Leyda Marrero Morales, Ivy Maina, Aslam Nkya, Beatrice P. Mushi, Mary Jue Xu, Nazima Dharsee, Nashivai Elias, Katherine Van Loon, Elia Mmbaga, Msiba Selekwa. Characterizing Baseline Prevalence and Causes of Complications of Tracheostomy and Gastrostomy Tubes Among Cancer Patients at Muhimbili National Hospital in Tanzania. View on PubMed
  11. Sarah Nuss, Rolvix H. Patterson, Mary J. Xu, Amina Seguya, Valerie Salano, Nader Zalaquett, Samuel Okerosi, Bethany Hedt-Gauthier, Johannes Fagan. Addressing inequities in the otolaryngology academic publishing: A call to action. View on PubMed
  12. Fiona Kabagenyi, Alexander D. Cherches, Nina R. Patel, Samuel N. Okerosi, Mary Jue Xu, Wale L. Gellaw, Tagwa H.A. Abdalla, Felicia Tshite, Buhlebenkosi J. Hlomani, Titus Dzongodza, Reuel K. Maina, Shazia Peer, Joshua Wiedermann, Douglas R. Sidell, Taseer Din. Paediatric airway foreign-body removal equipment availability in sub-Saharan Africa. View on PubMed
  13. Callander JK, Souza SS, Eltawil Y, El-Sayed IH, George JR, Ha P, Ryan WR, Xu MJ, Heaton CM. Prognostic risk factors of buccal squamous cell carcinoma: A case-control study. Head Neck. 2024 10; 46(10):2398-2406. View on PubMed
  14. Selekwa M, Maina I, Yeh T, Nkya A, Ncogoza I, Nuss RC, Mushi BP, Haddadi S, Van Loon K, Mbaga E, Massawe W, Roberson DW, Dharsee N, Musimu B, Xu MJ. Tracheostomy care quality improvement in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review. View on PubMed
  15. Petrucci B, Okerosi S, Patterson RH, Hobday SB, Salano V, Waterworth CJ, Brody RM, Sprow H, Alkire BC, Fagan JJ, Tamir SO, Der C, Bhutta MF, Maina IW, Pang JC, Daudu D, Mukuzi AG, Srinivasan T, Pietrobon CA, Hao SP, Nakku D, Seguya A, Din TF, Mbougo OD, Mokoh LW, Jashek-Ahmed F, Law TJ, Holt EA, Bangesh AH, Zemene Y, Ibekwe TS, Diallo OR, Alvarado J, Mulwafu WK, Fenton JE, Agius AM, Doležal P, Mudekereza ÉA, Mojica KM, Rueda RS, Xu MJ. The Global Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Workforce. View on PubMed
  16. Plonowska-Hirschfeld KA, Gulati A, Stephens EM, Ochoa E, Xu MJ, Ha PK, Heaton CM, Yom SS, Chan JW, Algazi A, Kang H, Ryan WR. Treatment Modality Impact on Patient-Reported Quality of Life in Human Papilloma Virus-Associated Oropharyngeal Carcinoma. Laryngoscope. 2024 04; 134(4):1687-1695. View on PubMed
  17. Okerosi S, Nkya A, Fagan J, Xu MJ. Realities and challenges of head and neck free flap reconstruction in sub-Saharan Africa. View on PubMed
  18. Ndon S, Singh A, Ha PK, Aswani J, Chan JY, Xu MJ. Human Papillomavirus-Associated Oropharyngeal Cancer: Global Epidemiology and Public Policy Implications. Cancers (Basel). 2023 Aug 13; 15(16). View on PubMed
  19. Canick J, Petrucci B, Patterson R, Saunders J, Htoo Thaw M, Omosule I, Denton A, Xu MJ, Chadha S, Young G, Siafa L, Mortel O, Shamshad A, Reddy A, McCalla M, Prasad K, Yang HH, Pan DR, Shah J, Smith E, Alkire B, Ibekwe T, Waterworth C. An analysis of the inclusion of ear and hearing care in national health policies, strategies and plans. View on PubMed
  20. Gulati A, Plonowska-Hirschfeld K, Stephens EM, Kansara S, Zebolsky AL, Ochoa E, Xu MJ, Ha PK, Heaton CM, Yom SS, Chan JW, Algazi AP, Kang H, Ryan WR. A prospective evaluation of neck and shoulder function following treatments of early-stage human papillomavirus-associated oropharynx cancer. Clin Otolaryngol. 2023 09; 48(5):756-765. View on PubMed

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