Debra Don, MD

Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology

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Overview

Dr. Debra Don serves as an attending physician at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) and holds the position of Associate Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology at the USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.

Dr. Don earned her medical degree from the Keck School of Medicine of USC in 1991. She completed her residency in Head and Neck Surgery at UCLA Medical Center in 1997, followed by a fellowship in Pediatric Otolaryngology at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

With over three decades of experience, Dr. Don specializes in pediatric ear, nose, and throat disorders. Her clinical interests include sleep-disordered breathing, chronic sinusitis, congenital head and neck anomalies, and airway management. She has contributed extensively to research in these areas, with numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals. Notable works include studies on sleep architecture in children with obstructive sleep apnea and the use of smartphone otoscopes for home tympanostomy tube surveillance.

Dr. Don is board-certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. She is a Fellow of both the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP). Her professional memberships include the American Academy of Otolaryngology, the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology, and the Society for Ear, Nose, and Throat Advances in Children. She has been recognized as one of the “Best Doctors in America” (2009–2015) and has been featured in Pasadena Magazine’s “Best Doctors” list since 2009.

Awards

  • 2009
     -: Best Doctors in America, 2009
     – 2010
  • Pasadena Magazine: Best Doctors, 2011

Publications

  • A qualitative analysis of the experiences of pioneering females in pediatric otolaryngology. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2026 Jul; 206:112873.. View in PubMed
  • Positional obstructive sleep apnea in pediatric down syndrome: Prevalence and therapy implications. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2026 May; 204:112808.. View in PubMed
  • Feasibility and Safety of Intratympanic Administration of Sustained-Exposure Dexamethasone Thermosensitive Gel (OTO-104) for Prevention of Cisplatin-Induced Hearing Loss in Children: A Multisite Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2025 Jun; 72(6):e31680.. View in PubMed
  • Polysomnographic Characteristics of Sleep Architecture in Children With Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2024 Jun; 133(6):590-597.. View in PubMed
  • Women Surgeons Who Contributed to the Development of Pediatric Otolaryngology in the United States. Laryngoscope. 2024 01; 134(1):40-46.. View in PubMed
  • Pediatric Invasive Fungal Rhinosinusitis: A Comprehensive Analysis of Prognostic Factors for Survival. Laryngoscope. 2023 05; 133(5):1239-1250.. View in PubMed
  • Sleep positions in children with Down syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep Med. 2021 05; 81:463-465.. View in PubMed
  • Transcutaneous CO2 Monitoring in Children Undergoing Tonsillectomy for Sleep Disordered Breathing. Laryngoscope. 2021 06; 131(6):1410-1415.. View in PubMed
  • Prospective Evaluation of a Smartphone Otoscope for Home Tympanostomy Tube Surveillance: A Pilot Study. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2021 Feb; 130(2):125-132.. View in PubMed
  • The Generalizability of the Clinical Assessment Score-15 for Pediatric Sleep-Disordered Breathing. Laryngoscope. 2020 09; 130(9):2256-2262.. View in PubMed