Ashley E. Kita, MD
Accepting new patients

Ashley E. Kita, MD

  • Otolaryngology
Torrance Head & Neck Surgery | 3701 Skypark Drive, Suite 240, Torrance, CA 90505

About

Dr. Kita is an NIH-funded Assistant Professor who attended the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA after graduating Magna Cum Laude in Engineering from the University of California Berkeley. She chose to study medicine with dreams of translating engineering innovations from the bench to the bedside. While completing her clinical training at UCLA, she was able to collaborate with numerous colleagues to develop some exciting technologies. She helped create and validate a point-of-care test for cerebrospinal fluid. In doing so, her team obtained an American Academy of Otolaryngology Resident Research Award, an NIH R21 grant, and won both UCLA's MedTech Challenge and Innovation Challenge in 2019. She also has interests in nerve regeneration and hearing preservation. Her work designing methods of prolonged therapeutic delivery for nerve regeneration and hearing preservation has earned her funding from the NIH NIDCD, the American Hearing Research Foundation, the American Neurotology Society, the American College of Surgeons, and the Triological Society. She is also working with engineering colleagues to develop an imaging-based sleep study with pilot funding from UCLA’s 2021 Medtech Challenge. In 2021 she completed UCLA’s Biodesign program.

She is devoted to providing excellent, evidence-based care for patients with general problems of the head and neck while continuing to work innovating the technologies that will improve Otolaryngology in the future. She serves on the American Academy of Otolaryngology’s Medical Devices and Drugs Committee and Outcomes Research and Evidence Based Medicine Committee. She co-hosted the 2022 innovation competition at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery in Philadelphia and helps to develop clinical practice guidelines, state of the art guidelines, and reviews of current technology.

Languages

English

Education

Medical Board Certification

Otolaryngology, American Board of Otolaryngology, 2021

Residency

Head and Neck Surgery, UCLA School of Medicine, 2020

Degree

MD, UCLA School of Medicine, 2015

Recognitions

  • Faculty Excellence Award, 2022
  • American Academy of Otolaryngology CORE Grant Reviewer, since 2020
  • UCLA Med Tech Challenge Winner, 2021, 2019
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Locations

Santa Monica

Santa Monica Head & Neck Surgery

Head and Neck Surgery| Pediatric Head and Neck Surgery| Head and Neck Medical Oncology +1 more specialty

Hospital Affiliations

UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center

Research

Publications

Link to Dr. Kita's PubMed publications

  1. Hong MK, Echanique KA, Hoffman LF, Kita AE. Designing a Prolonged Method of Therapeutic Delivery to Support Rehabilitation From Ototoxic Damage in a Schwann Cell Model. Otol Neurotol. 2023 Feb 15;. doi: 10.1097/MAO.0000000000003839. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 36791364.
  2. Chung HR, Tam K, Han AY, Obeidin F, Nakasaki M, Chhetri DK, St John MA, Kita AE. Solitary Fibrous Tumors of the Head and Neck: A Single-Institution Study of 52 Patients. OTO Open. 2022 Jul-Sep;6(3):2473974X221098709. doi: 10.1177/2473974X221098709. eCollection 2022 Jul-Sep. PubMed PMID: 35845143; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9280824.
  3. Kita AE, Boisoneau D, Lambert D. Nonopioid Combination Formulations. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2022 Apr;166(4):791. doi: 10.1177/01945998211027349. PubMed PMID: 35363584.
  4. Stefanescu KA, Sachs CR, Lu DY, Kita AE. Deep Neck Hemangioma Masquerading as a Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. OTO Open. 2022 Jan-Mar;6(1):2473974X221075631. doi: 10.1177/2473974X221075631. eCollection 2022 Jan-Mar. PubMed PMID: 35198844; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8859683.
  5. Upton M, Kita A, Scapa J, St John M. In Response to Letter to the Editor Regarding: Prognostic Value of Tumor Staging: Predicting Nodal Metastases in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Laryngoscope. 2021 Feb;131(2):E444. doi: 10.1002/lary.28982. Epub 2020 Aug 8. PubMed PMID: 32770744.
  6. Upton M, Kita A, Scapa J, St John M. Prognostic Value of Tumor Staging: Predicting Nodal Metastases in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Laryngoscope. 2021 Jan;131(1):E170-E175. doi: 10.1002/lary.28633. Epub 2020 Mar 25. PubMed PMID: 32212346.
  7. Kita A, Saldate J, Chang C, Chellappa N, Jong J, Matsuda R, Schmidt A, Shih B, Shafqat I, Schoettler K, Acharya S, Seidlits S, Hoffman L. Implantable Drug Reservoir Devices for Inner Ear Delivery of Pharmacotherapeutics. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020 Oct;163(4):791-798. doi: 10.1177/0194599820930229. Epub 2020 Jun 2. PubMed PMID: 32484378.
  8. Bradbury DW, Kita AE, Hirota K, St John MA, Kamei DT. Rapid Diagnostic Test Kit for Point-of-Care Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak Detection. SLAS Technol. 2020 Feb;25(1):67-74. doi: 10.1177/2472630319877377. Epub 2019 Sep 22. PubMed PMID: 31544595; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6980299.
  9. Kita AE, Kim I, Ishiyama G, Ishiyama A. Perilymphatic Fistula After Penetrating Ear Trauma. Clin Pract Cases Emerg Med. 2019 May;3(2):115-118. doi: 10.5811/cpcem.2011.37404. eCollection 2019 May. PubMed PMID: 31061965; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6497203.
  10. Kita AE, Bradbury DW, Taylor ZD, Kamei DT, St John MA. Point-of-Care Cerebrospinal Fluid Detection. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2018 Nov;159(5):824-829. doi: 1177/0194599818789075. Epub 2018 Jul 24. PubMed PMID: 30040545; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6980298.

Recognitions

  • Faculty Excellence Award, 2022
  • American Academy of Otolaryngology CORE Grant Reviewer, since 2020
  • UCLA Med Tech Challenge Winner, 2021, 2019
  • UCLA Health Innovation Challenge Winner, 2019
  • Academic Chief Resident, 2019-2020
  • Los Angeles Research Study Club Resident Research Presentation, First Place, 2019
  • UCLA Emergency Department Consultant of the Semester, Fall 2017
  • Academy of Otolaryngology Resident Research Award CORE Grant, 2016
  • Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, 2014
  • Viola G. Hyde Scholarship Fund Research Award, 2014
  • Letter of Distinction - Family Medicine, Neurology, Systems Based Healthcare, 2014
  • American Society of Hematology Trainee Research Award, 2011
  • Associated Society of Civil Engineers Steel Bridge Competition National Winner, 2008