Mary J. Xu, MD

Dr. Mary J. Xu is a surgeon who specializes in head and neck cancers. Her technical expertise spans head and neck ablative surgery (using extreme heat or cold to destroy abnormal tissue), microvascular reconstruction (rebuilding the face and neck using blood vessels, bone and tissue from other parts of the patient's body), transoral robotic surgery (using computerized tools to access tumors through the mouth) and endocrine surgery (treating cancers of hormone-producing glands).

Xu’s research focuses on improving care for head and neck cancers in resource-constrained health systems, both internationally and locally. Through the UCSF Global Cancer Program, she collaborates with health systems in Tanzania and Rwanda. She co-founded the Global Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Initiative, an international research collaborative.

Xu earned her medical degree through the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology. While in medical school, she spent a year at the Butaro Cancer Center in Rwanda studying health outcomes for patients with childhood cancer. She completed a residency in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery at UCSF, followed by a fellowship in head and neck oncology and microvascular reconstruction at the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in the National Clinician Scholars Program at UCSF.