She received her Ph.D. in Economics from Wayne State University. As a health economist, Dr. Xu’s research focuses on improving the efficiency and outcomes of care for women and older adults. Her research projects have examined regional and hospital variation in costs of care, cost-effectiveness of interventions in obstetrics and gynecology, influence of medical malpractice environment on obstetric care, impact of insurance on health care utilization and outcomes of care, and gender and racial/ethnic differences in health trajectories. Dr. Xu’s research has been funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation.