As a member of the Tillotson Cell Biology Unit, Dr. Dunia Abdul-Aziz studies basic biology of sensory hair cell development and regeneration. These hair cells reside in the hearing organ (the cochlea) and are crucial for converting wavelength of sound into electrical signal. Their loss is the most common cause of sensorineural hearing loss. Dr. Abdul-Aziz seeks to understand the basic mechanisms underlying their development and regeneration with the purpose of translating this knowledge to restore hearing.

To this end, she is applying the latest scientific tools, including genetic targeting with CRISPR/Cas9 and organoid models to study the role of fundamental pathways, such as epigenetics, in inner ear development. Her scientific training includes a Bachelor’s degree in biochemical sciences from Harvard University, where she received research training in Dr. Stephen Blacklow’s laboratory.

Following the completion of medical school in the Harvard-MIT combined program, Health Sciences and Technology (HST), she undertook a research track residency at Mass Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School, where she began studying mechanisms of inner ear stem cell differentiation. She continued this project through her clinical fellowship in neurotology.

As a surgeon-scientist, the otologic problems she has witnessed and treated at the bedside have driven her desire to seek out answers and, hopefully, better therapies in the laboratory.

Education
BA, Biochemical Sciences, Harvard College
MD, Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Harvard Medical School/MIT

Postgraduate Training
Internship, General Surgery, Mass General
Residency, Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Mass. Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School
Fellowship, Neurotology, Mass. Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School

Professional Societies
Phi Beta Kappa
Massachusetts Medical Society
American Medical Association
American College of Surgeons
American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS)
AAO-HNS Women in Otolaryngology
New England Otolaryngological Society
Association of Research in Otolaryngology
International Society for Stem Cell Research
International Otopathology Society

Honors
Third Millennium Fellowship in Human Rights, Third Millennium Foundation/Harvard University
First Place, Poster Presentation, Mass. Eye and Ear
First Place, Oral Presentation, New England Otolaryngological Society Spring Meeting
Jeffrey P. Harris, MD, PhD, Research Prize, Mass. Eye and Ear
Yellen Young Investigator Award, Mass. Eye and Ear

Editorial Roles
Otology and Neurotology