Tsukasa Ito, MD, PhD, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Japan, and Vice Director of Yamagata University Hospital. He received his MD and PhD degrees from Yamagata University and conducted research at University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland, from 2007 to 2008.

His clinical and research interests include temporal bone surgery, endoscopic ear surgery, cholesteatoma, congenital middle ear anomalies, and clinical research in otology and audiology. He has also conducted basic research on the middle and inner ear, including middle ear mucosal regeneration, cochlear injury and regeneration, and facial nerve regeneration. He is actively involved in multicenter clinical studies on ear surgery in Japan.

Dr. Ito is a member of the International Otology Outcome Group (IOOG), the International Working Group on Endoscopic Ear Surgery (IWGEES), and Secretary General and board member of the Japan Working Group on Endoscopic Ear Surgery (JWGEES). His work has particularly focused on clinical development, safety, and education of transcanal endoscopic ear surgery.

Dr. Zhou is an assistant professor at the University of Washington and a pediatric otolaryngologist at Seattle Children’s Hospital. His clinical care focuses on the craniofacial population with special expertise on microtia and atresia patients, cleft palate repair, velopharyngeal insufficiency, and the 22q population. He additionally has a special interest in refractory obstructive sleep apnea. His research has focused on quality improvement and simulation in otolaryngology.

Employment

1993- Associate, Department of Otolaryngology, The Jikei University School of Medicine

1998- Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology, The Jikei University School of Medicine

2004- Lecturer, Department of Otolaryngology, The Jikei University School of Medicine

2011- Professor and Chair, Department of Otorhinolaryngology,

Dokkyo Medical University Koshigaya Hospital

2017- Professor and Chair, Department of Otorhinolaryngology,

Dokkyo Medical University Saitama Medical Center

Major Interest: 

Middle ear/Inner ear surgery

Education

2010 – 2016 Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, MD

Employment

• Apr 2023 – Present, Staff Physician

Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Yamagata University Hospital

• Nov 2022 – Mar 2023, Staff Physician

Department of Otolaryngology, Yonezawa City Hospital

• Apr 2022 – Oct 2022, Staff Physician

Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Yamagata University Hospital

• Apr 2018 – Mar 2022, Senior Resident

Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Yamagata University Hospital

Clinical interests

Middle ear surgery, Transcanal Endoscopic Ear Surgery (TEES)

2001-2007 Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine

2013-2017 Ph.D. (Medicine), Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine

2020/04- Yamagata University Hospital, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

2025/06- Yamagata University Hospital, Assistant Professor, Lecturer

Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery