Hitomi Sakano, M.D., Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She specializes in disorders of the ear and skull-base tumors.

Dr. Sakano earned her medical degree and a doctoral degree in neurobiology and behavior at the University of Washington in Seattle through the Medical Scientist Training Program. She completed a residency in otolaryngology at the University of Washington Medical Center and a fellowship in neurotology at the University of California San Diego Medical Center.

Certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology in otolaryngology and neurotology, she joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2023.

Dr. Sakano’s research laboratory investigates how the loss of FMRP (Fragile X protein) affects auditory brainstem development, shedding light on possible mechanisms of autism, auditory processing, and hyperacusis. She has delivered invited lectures, contributed book chapters, and published numerous academic articles related to her areas of expertise.

She is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the Triological Society and the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. She also serves on the Editorial Board for Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology.