Professional Bio
Dr. Ashley Kita MD FACS is a board-certified Otolaryngologist-Head and Neck Surgeon. Her clinical interests include all ear, nose, and throat problems with a special focus on surgical procedures for obstructive sleep apnea. She is passionate about innovation and completed a Biodesign fellowship to help new and emerging technologies bridge the divide from the bench to the bedside.

Expertise
Dr. Kita is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and passionate about patient care, teaching, and research. She is devoted to providing excellent, evidence-based care for patients with problems of the head and neck while continuing to work innovating the technologies that will improve Otolaryngology in the future. 

She has collaborated with numerous colleagues to develop exciting technologies including a point-of-care test for cerebrospinal fluid, a topical therapeutic for nerve regeneration and hearing protection, and the first steps towards an imaging-based sleep study. She enjoys the synergy of clinical practice and translational research. Her work has been funded by an American Academy of Otolaryngology Resident Research Award, UCLA’s MedTech Challenge and Innovation Challenge, the American Hearing Research Foundation, the American Neurotology Society, the American College of Surgeons, the Triological Society, and the NIH.



She serves on the American Academy of Otolaryngology’s Sleep Disorders Committee and is an active participate in the Medical Devices and Drugs Committee and Outcomes Research and Evidence Based Medicine Committee. She has co-hosted an annual innovation competition at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery known as ENTrepreneur Faceoff and helps to develop clinical practice guidelines, state of the art reviews, and reviews of current technologies. She is active in the scientific community as a peer reviewer for research articles and grants, and prides herself on developing entertaining and relevant teaching lectures. 

Education
Dr. Kita graduated Magna Cum Laude in Engineering from the University of California Berkeley and chose to study medicine with dreams of translating engineering innovations to improve the care of her patients. She is a member of Tau Beta Pi (the engineering honor society) and the Bioengineering Honor Society. She completed medical school at UCLA where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. Dr. Kita completed residency at UCLA as well as a fellowship in Biodesign.

Other Info
Dr. Kita is currently completing writing her Triological Society thesis. She enjoys surfing, coffee, creative writing, and reading library books with her children.