Julia Z. Xu, MD, MScGH

Dr. Xu is a physician-scientist focusing on chronic complications of sickle cell disease (SCD). She has a particular interest in studying the complex pathophysiology of anemia and its treatment in SCD using clinical and translational research approaches.

With a longstanding interest in both red blood cell disorders and global health, she has conducted studies of the trajectory of renal function decline in sickle cell disease in a US-based cohort, the prevalence of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency in a Dominican HIV clinic, the feasibility of thalassemia screening and barriers to care in Myanmar and Cambodian migrant populations in Thailand, and point-of-care testing for hemoglobin disorders. She has led and is leading clinical trials of novel drug therapies in patients with sickle cell disease.

Dr. Xu's research focuses on new drug therapies and biomarkers for improving anemia and other chronic complications in SCD. She is dedicated to improving anemia-related outcomes for individuals living with SCD in the US and globally by optimizing treatment strategies for anemia and expanding global access to treatments.

Dr. Xu is a hematologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Section of Benign Hematology. Her primary clinical area of interest is inherited red blood cell disorders, and she specializes in sickle cell disease and other hemoglobin disorders. She regularly sees patients in the Benign Hematology Center at Falk Clinic and is an attending physician on the inpatient hematology consult service.

As the Hematology Chief Fellow at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Xu redesigned and implemented a new didactic hematology curriculum for hematology/oncology fellows and received the NHLBI Director’s Award for Learning Environment for her outstanding contributions to the educational environment for fellows at the NIH. At the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Xu continues to share her passion for both hematology and global health with trainees through didactic and research lectures and individual mentorship.