About

Amy Xu is a professor affiliated with the University of Chicago in the Department of Medicine-Dermatology. Her research focuses on dermatopathology, with particular interest in melanocytic tumors, cutaneous melanoma, and non-melanoma skin cancers. She has contributed to the development of histopathologic reporting standards and has been involved in studies utilizing next-generation sequencing to improve diagnostic accuracy and understand molecular profiles of skin cancers. Her work also encompasses the investigation of immune-related skin eruptions, the histological grading of melanocytic dysplasia, and the clinical evaluation of skin lesions. Additionally, she has engaged in research on the impact of AI-assisted diagnosis in dermatopathology, vaccine support in pediatric care, and health services research related to organizational readiness and implementation strategies in healthcare settings.

Research topics

• Biology
• Immunology
• Medicine
• Pathology
• Neuroscience
• Cell biology

Selected publications

• Eosinophilic Annular Erythema Induced by Bee Sting: A Case Report

  Case Reports in Dermatology · 2025-11-28

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Introduction: Eosinophilic annular erythema (EAE) is a rare disease with an unclear etiology and pathogenesis. EAE is characterized by chronic relapsing-remitting episodes, primarily presenting as annular erythematous patches and plaques. Whether it is a distinct entity or a subtype of eosinophilic cellulitis (Wells syndrome) remains controversial. Case Presentation: To our knowledge, there have been no prior reported cases of EAE triggered by bee stings. We describe a 58-year-old male patient with EAE who presented with recurrent erythematous eruptions on both calves for 6 months, experienced a flare-up 2 weeks before consultation. Notably, his symptoms initially appeared following a bee sting. The patient also reported a history of childhood asthma. Physical examination revealed infiltrated annular plaques on both calves and the left groin, with centrally hyperpigmented areas. Laboratory tests showed normal peripheral blood eosinophil counts, while histopathology demonstrated dense perivascular eosinophilic infiltrates in the superficial dermis with flame figures. The patient was treated with corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, leading to significant improvement after 2 weeks. Follow-up over 3 months showed no recurrence. Conclusion: Despite significant pathological overlap with Wells syndrome, the clinical features in this case supported a diagnosis of EAE. The bee sting is postulated as a potential trigger for the recurrent type 2 immune response. This case suggests that bee stings may represent a previously underrecognized trigger for EAE and highlights the diagnostic challenges in distinguishing it from related disorders.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Oral Manifestations of Bullous Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Systematic Review

  Acta Dermato Venereologica · 2025-07-03 · 1 citations

  reviewOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Rethinking “asthma” in adult-onset “asthma” with periocular xanthogranuloma

  JAAD Case Reports · 2025-11-15

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• HLA-B27-Positive Leprosy Masquerading as Peripheral Spondyloarthritis: A Case Report

  Case Reports in Dermatology · 2025-11-29

  articleOpen access

  Introduction: , is primarily characterized by cutaneous and peripheral nerve involvement. Nonetheless, musculoskeletal manifestations are also frequently observed and are commonly misdiagnosed as rheumatic diseases. Case Presentation: We report a case of lepromatous leprosy presenting with chronic arthritis and HLA-B27 positivity, which was misdiagnosed as peripheral spondyloarthritis in the early stage due to the absence of typical clinical manifestations. Conclusion: Lepromatous leprosy may mimic peripheral spondyloarthritis, especially with HLA-B27 positivity. Clinicians should consider leprosy in refractory arthritis or neuropathy, even in non-endemic areas, to prevent disability and transmission.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Immunogenicity of COVID-19 booster vaccines in children receiving immunosuppressive medications

  Pediatric Research · 2025-07-21 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children is a SARS-CoV-2 triggered Kawasaki disease

  Pediatric Research · 2025-10-27 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) encompasses a spectrum of phenotypes: shock, Kawasaki disease (KD), and fever with hyperinflammation. Whether MIS-C is a new syndrome or SARS-CoV-2-triggered KD remains debated. To explore this, we investigated the relationship between clinical phenotypes and viral variants, and the contribution of pre-pandemic KD incidence to MIS-C reporting. METHODS: Single center, prospective, observational study of 384 patients with MIS-C, from March 2020 to September 2023. Clinical and laboratory features, complications, and outcomes were evaluated across the MIS-C waves. RESULTS: Three clinical phenotypes were identified: shock, KD, and fever with hyperinflammation. KD was most common across all variants, particularly during Omicron, while shock predominated in Delta cohort. Stratifying by phenotype outperformed the WHO MIS-C and RCPCH PIMS definitions in distinguishing subgroups. Countries with low pre-pandemic KD incidence identified MIS-C as a new syndrome, while countries with high KD incidence did not. CONCLUSIONS: MIS-C phenotypes vary accordingly to SARS-CoV-2 variants, with KD being most common. Stratification by clinical phenotypes out-performed MIS-C case definitions for patient identification, highlighting the value of clinical features in managing infection-triggered hyperinflammation. These findings, coupled with the inverse relationship between pre-pandemic KD incidence and MIS-C reporting, support the hypothesis that MIS-C is SARS-CoV-2-triggered KD. IMPACT: KD and MIS-C are not separate entities but different ends of the immune response spectrum. Among the hyperinflammation spectrum, each viral variant induces a distinct MIS-C phenotype, with the Omicron wave resembling KD. Clinical phenotype stratification outperformed MIS-C definitions in identifying patient subgroups, confirming the value of clinical features in managing infection-triggered hyperinflammation. The inverse relationship between pre-pandemic KD incidence and MIS-C reporting supports MIS-C being a SARS-CoV-2-triggered KD, underscoring critical equity and diversity considerations. A pathogen-agnostic approach to post-infectious hyperinflammation would recognize the full spectrum of phenotypes and complications and avoid confusion due to new naming conventions.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• An Urticarial Rash, Fevers, and Arthralgias

  The American Journal of Medicine · 2024-03-18

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Academic cheating in early childhood: Role of age, gender, personality, and self-efficacy

  Journal of Experimental Child Psychology · 2024-03-01 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  The current study investigated the association of children's age, gender, ethnicity, Big Five personality traits, and self-efficacy with their academic cheating behaviors. Academic cheating is a rampant problem that has been documented in adolescents and adults for nearly a century, but our understanding of the early development and factors influencing academic cheating is still weak. Using Zoom, the current study recruited children aged 4 to 12 years (N = 388), measured their cheating behaviors through six tasks simulating academic testing scenarios, and assessed their Big Five personality traits and self-efficacy through a modified Berkeley Puppet Interview paradigm, as well as age and gender. We found that children cheated significantly less with increased age and that boys cheated significantly more than girls. However, neither Big Five personality traits nor self-efficacy were significantly correlated with children's cheating. These findings suggest that academic cheating is a developing issue from early to middle childhood and that factors such as gender socialization may play a role in such development. Personal characteristics such as personality traits and self-efficacy may undergo additional development before their associations with cheating become robust, as reported in the adult literature.

  PublisherDOI

• Marjolin cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma arising in dissecting cellulitis of the scalp

  JAAD Case Reports · 2024-08-12 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  No abstract

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Case Report of Red Lunulae after Liver Transplantation.

  PubMed · 2024-01-01

  articleSenior author

  A 50-year-old man with a history of alcoholic cirrhosis status post liver transplant about 3 months prior to consultation presented with abnor-mal appearing fingernails for the past month. He had noted discoloration of his fingernails, which was initially dark pink and asymptomatic. He denied trauma or any new contactants to the nails.

  Publisher

Frequent coauthors

• Madison R. Mack

  15 shared

• Éric Vivier

  Innate Pharma (France)

  12 shared

• Brian Kim

  Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

  11 shared

• David J. Margolis

  University of Pennsylvania

  10 shared

• Chyi‐Song Hsieh

  9 shared

• Hongzhen Hu

  9 shared

• Anna M. Trier

  9 shared

• Jonathan R. Brestoff

  Washington University in St. Louis

  9 shared

Labs

• Amy Xu LabPI