Current Environment: Production

Medical Services

Specialties

Programs & Services

Education

Undergraduate School

Harvard College

2007, Cambridge, MA

Graduate School

Harvard Business School

2014, Boston, MA

Medical School

Harvard Medical School

2014, Boston, MA

Internship

Department of Surgery

Massachusetts General Hospital

2015, Boston, MA

Residency

Department of Urology

Massachusetts General Hospital

2019, Boston, MA

Fellowship

Department of Urology

Boston Children's Hospital

2022, Boston, MA

Professional History

Dr. Rena Xu is the Advisor to Health Affairs at Boston Children's Hospital and an Affiliate Faculty Member in the BCH Computational Health Informatics Program. She earned her MD degree from Harvard Medical School and her MBA degree from Harvard Business School. She completed residency training in urology at Massachusetts General Hospital and fellowship training in pediatric urology at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Xu is a former Blavatnik Fellow in Life Science Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School. She has written about health care for the New England Journal of Medicine, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post, among other publications. Dr. Xu’s research focuses on characterizing and improving patient care pathways and advancing health equity.

Publications

  1. Editorial Comment. J Urol. 2024 Jul; 212(1):175. View Abstract

  2. Characterizing psychosocial services in a pediatric urology practice. J Pediatr Urol. 2024 04; 20(2):242.e1-242.e8. View Abstract

  3. Gender Affirmation-Related Information-Seeking Behaviors in a Diverse Sample of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Young Adults: Survey Study. JMIR Form Res. 2023 Aug 15; 7:e45952. View Abstract

  4. Cost analysis for mirabegron use in the treatment of children with neurogenic bladder. J Pediatr Urol. 2023 10; 19(5):535.e1-535.e10. View Abstract

  5. Hybrid Clinics: A New Model for Ambulatory Care to Reduce Infection Risk. Telemed J E Health. 2023 04; 29(4):560-568. View Abstract

  6. Prostatic metaplasia of the vagina in transmasculine individuals. World J Urol. 2022 Mar; 40(3):849-855. View Abstract

  7. Malignancy Yield of Testis Pathology in Older Boys and Adolescents with Cryptorchidism. J Urol. 2022 Mar; 207(3):694-700. View Abstract

  8. A World Out of Reach: Dispatches from Life under Lockdown. Medicine’s Innovation Problem. 2020.

  9. Essentials of Men’s Health. Bhasin S, O’Leary MP, Basaria SS, editors. Genetics of Male Reproductive Deficiency. 2020.

  10. Improvements in ureteroscopy efficiency when performed at an ambulatory surgery center. Urology Practice. 2019; 5(6):289-293.

  11. Genitourinary cancer patients have worse baseline semen parameters than healthy sperm bankers. Andrology. 2019 07; 7(4):449-453. View Abstract

  12. Improvements in Ureteroscopy Efficiency When Performed at an Ambulatory Surgery Center. Urol Pract. 2019 Sep; 6(5):289-293. View Abstract

  13. Prognostic significance of indeterminate lung nodules in renal cell carcinoma. Urol Oncol. 2014 Apr; 32(3):355-61. View Abstract

  14. The teaming curve: a longitudinal study of the influence of surgical team familiarity on operative time. Ann Surg. 2013 Dec; 258(6):953-7. View Abstract

  15. Late Neck Metastasis of Clear Cell Salivary Carcinoma of the Soft Palate. Otorhinolaryngology Clinics - An International Journal. 2013; 3(5):145-147.

  16. Living Will. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2012; 26(367):2558.

  17. A differentiation diagnosis--specialization and the medical student. N Engl J Med. 2011 Aug 04; 365(5):391-3. View Abstract

My greatest priority is providing high-quality, compassionate care to patients & their families. The health care system is capable of incredible things but can also be daunting for patients and loved ones to navigate. As a surgeon and researcher, I am committed to achieving the best possible outcomes for patients and to making their care journeys as smooth, efficient, and humane as possible.

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