Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology
Division of Neonatology
Adjunct Faculty, Department of Pediatrics
Emory School of Medicine
Biography
BIRCWH Scholar: 2025
Xin Hu, PhD, MSPH, is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Health Services Research, Outcomes, and Policy within the Department of Radiation Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine, and a Visiting Scientist at the American Cancer Society. She received her PhD and Master of Science in Public Health in Health Services Research and Health Policy from Emory University, and her bachelor’s degree in Public Service Administration from Fudan University. Prior to her doctoral training, Dr. Hu worked at the Yale Cancer Outcomes, Public Policy, and Effectiveness Research (COPPER) Center and the Yale Center for Analytical Sciences.
Dr. Hu serves as Principal Investigator on grants funded by the National Institutes of Health, Pfizer, and the PhRMA Foundation. Her funded research focuses on value assessment in palliative care delivery and remote symptom monitoring, as well as the influence of organizational structures on cancer care delivery and outcomes. Her methodological expertise lies in applying causal inference approaches to administrative health records, national surveys, and other large-scale secondary data sources to evaluate the impact of health policies and innovations on cancer outcomes and healthcare value.
Her BIRWCH project extends her ongoing efforts to improve symptom management and quality of life for patients with advanced cancer through better integration of palliative care. Specifically, the project uses real-world data to evaluate palliative radiation therapy (PRT) patterns, outcomes, and economic implications among women with bone metastasis, which is a common complication affecting 30–70% of patients with advanced cancers that causes severe pain, fractures, and diminished quality of life. The study will examine multi-level patient, provider, and neighborhood factors associated with variations in PRT approaches, including the use of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) versus conventional PRT, as well as dosing and fractionation practices. Dr. Hu will also develop artificial intelligence (AI)–based algorithms to identify patients most likely to benefit from advanced versus conventional PRT in terms of lower opioid dependence and reduced acute care utilization. Finally, the project will conduct cost-effectiveness analyses to quantify the incremental benefits and healthcare spending associated with advanced PRT for high-benefit patient subgroups identified by the AI models.
Dr. Hu's mentors are Reshma Jagsi, MD, and Ilana Graetz, PhD.