About

Christina Boull, MD, is the Vice Chair of Faculty Development and Academic Affairs and an Associate Professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Minnesota. Her clinical practice focuses on adult and pediatric skin disease, and she is involved in research related to cutaneous findings in Fanconi Anemia, genetic skin diseases, epidermolysis bullosa, and skin reactions to cancer treatments. Dr. Boull's work encompasses both clinical care and research, contributing to the understanding and treatment of various dermatological conditions.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Dermatology
• Surgery
• Pathology
• Radiology
• Biology
• Oncology
• Pediatrics
• Genetics
• Anesthesia

Selected publications

• Standardizing Enteral Green Bean Use to Reduce Irritant Diaper Dermatitis in the NICU: A Quality Improvement Initiative

  Journal of Investigative Dermatology · 2026-03-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Enteral Green Beans in the Management of Neonatal Irritant Diaper Dermatitis

  Pediatric Dermatology · 2026-02-16

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Irritant diaper dermatitis (IDD) is frequently observed in neonatal intensive care units and is often exacerbated by chronic loose stools. Despite standard treatments, erosive or persistent IDD remains challenging to manage. We introduced pureed green beans into enteral feeds as a source of fiber to improve stool consistency and reduce skin breakdown. This intervention has been highly effective as an easy-to-use and safe non-topical intervention for treating IDD.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Dupilumab Treatment in DRESS: A Case Series

  Journal of Investigative Dermatology · 2026-03-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Use of etanercept in reactive infectious mucocutaneous eruption (RIME): a retrospective case series

  Journal of Investigative Dermatology · 2026-03-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• High cancer-associated mutational burden in normal blood of xeroderma pigmentosum group C, but not groups A, D, or F

  Blood Neoplasia · 2026-02-20

  articleOpen access

  Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare autosomal recessive congenital syndrome characterized by defective nucleotide excision repair (NER), leading to extreme photosensitivity and a strong predisposition to skin cancer. One of the 8 complementation groups, XP complementation group C (XP-C), is defective specifically in the global genome component of NER and presents not only with increased skin cancer but also with hematologic cancers. Using error-corrected single-molecule sequencing, we show a uniquely high spontaneous somatic mutational load in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with XP-C but not in those of patients from other XP complementation groups (XP-A, XP-D, and XP-F). The hypermutability observed in XP-C was markedly lower in fibroblasts than in PBMCs. The XP-C mutational profile was characterized by elevated single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) associated with mutational signatures SBS5, SBS8, and SBS32, as well as an enrichment of single-nucleotide cytosine deletions, with SNV profiles closely mirroring those found in XP-C leukemias. These findings indicate that a cancer-like mutation burden is already present in normal lymphocytes before malignant transformation, revealing distinct molecular subtypes within XP defined by spontaneous mutational load in normal blood cells.

  PublisherDOI

• Advancing Neonatal Skin Health Through Culturally Responsive Care and Donor Human Milk Utilization

  Journal of Investigative Dermatology · 2026-03-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Building consensus in pediatric dermatology research

  Journal of Investigative Dermatology · 2026-04-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Basal cell carcinoma risk prediction in survivors of childhood cancer

  JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute · 2025-08-16 · 2 citations

  article

  BACKGROUND: Survivors of childhood cancer face excess risk of developing basal cell carcinoma. Age-specific basal cell carcinoma risk prediction models for survivors may support targeted screening recommendations. METHODS: We developed models predicting basal cell carcinoma risk by ages 40 and 50 years featuring detailed cancer treatment predictors, utilizing statistical and machine-learning algorithms and data from 23 166 five-year survivors in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, a multi-institutional retrospective cohort study. Selected models were externally validated in 5314 survivors in the St Jude Lifetime Cohort. Model discrimination and precision were evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC) and benchmarked against the current Children's Oncology Group Long-Term Follow-Up Guidelines (COG LTFU, v6.0) for skin cancer screening. RESULTS: By ages 40 and 50 years, basal cell carcinoma cumulative incidence was 5% and 15% in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study and 7% and 21% in the St Jude Lifetime Cohort, respectively. The XGBoost algorithm-based models with treatment dose-specific predictors performed best, showing good external discrimination (age 40 years: AUROC = 0.75; age 50 years: AUROC = 0.76) and precision (age 40 years: AUPRC = 0.20; age 50 years: AUPRC = 0.52), outperforming COG LTFU Guideline-directed risk stratification (age 40 years: AUROC = 0.65; age 50 years: AUROC = 0.62; age 40 years: AUPRC = 0.09; age 50 years: AUPRC = 0.26; P < .01). These novel models reclassified 37% of survivors with COG-recommended skin cancer screening as low risk by age 40 years and 29% of survivors without COG-recommended screening as moderate or high risk by age 50 years, suggesting these recommendations overestimate risk in younger survivors and miss relevant predictors (eg, attained age, chemotherapy). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we present validated basal cell carcinoma risk prediction models for childhood cancer survivors that outperform current practice guidelines. The associated online risk calculator can inform risk- and age-based screening recommendations.

  PublisherDOI

• Adult experience in a comprehensive vascular anomalies clinic

  Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · 2025-04-06 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Atopic Dermatitis: Update on Skin-Directed Management: Clinical Report

  PEDIATRICS · 2025-05-18 · 18 citations

  article

  Atopic dermatitis affects 20% to 25% of children and has significant impact on quality of life of patients and families. Recent studies of the pathogenesis of AD highlight the interplay between a defective skin barrier, immune dysfunction, and the cutaneous microbiome. Standard of care for AD treatment includes topical corticosteroids for active disease and moisturization to repair the barrier defect. Emerging treatments include dupilumab and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors. Reduction of triggers and proactive treatment with topical corticosteroids and/or topical calcineurin inhibitors can reduce flares. Treatment plans should be clear and as simple as possible to maximize adherence.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Sheilagh Maguiness

  Fairview Health Services

  18 shared

• Sara A. Hylwa

  Park Nicollet Health Services

  13 shared

• Elisabeth Hurliman

  University of Minnesota

  12 shared

• Erin Luxenberg

  University of Minnesota

  12 shared

• Jing Liu

  Central South University

  9 shared

• Kristen P. Hook

  University of Minnesota

  8 shared

• Ingrid Polcari

  University of Minnesota

  7 shared

• Morgan Dykman

  University of Minnesota

  7 shared