Diego A. Preciado, MD, PHD

Division Chief, Ear, Nose, and Throat (Otolaryngology)

Director, Airway Program

Co-Director, Cochlear Implant Program

Otolaryngologist

Diego Preciado, MD, PhD, FACS, FAAP, is a fellowship-trained pediatric otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist) and serves as division chief of Otolaryngology at Children’s National Hospital. He holds the Joseph E. Robert, Jr. Endowed Chair in Pediatric Otolaryngology and is a professor (with tenure) of surgery and pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He is board-certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and holds subspecialty certification in Complex Pediatric Otolaryngology.

Born in Minneapolis and raised in Panama, Dr. Preciado returned to the United States after high school and graduated cum laude from Georgetown University in 1992. He earned both his medical and doctoral degrees from the University of Minnesota. He completed his residency in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Minnesota (1998–2002), followed by a fellowship in Complex Pediatric Otolaryngology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital (2002–2004).

Dr. Preciado joined the faculty at Children’s National in 2006, where he leads complex tertiary referral surgical programs in pediatric airway reconstruction, childhood hearing loss and cochlear implantation, and velopharyngeal dysfunction. In addition to his clinical work, he directs a translational research program focused on pediatric otolaryngologic disease. His research has been supported by numerous intra- and extramural funding sources, including NIH R01, U01 and R21 grants.

He has authored more than 175 peer-reviewed research manuscripts, 25 book chapters and three edited volumes. In 2020, he received the Robert Ruben Scientific Achievement Award from the Society for Ear, Nose and Throat Advances in Children. He has served as president of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology (2020–2021) and the International Society for Otitis Media (2019–2023). He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.

Dr. Preciado has been married to Argentinian architect Magali Remudo since 2004, and together they are the proud parents of four children. In his spare time, he enjoys running, grilling over wood flame and reading contemporary fiction.

• Airway Program
• Balance and Vestibular Program
• Cochlear Implant and Hearing Restoration Program
• Ear, Nose and Throat (Otolaryngology)

This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has a working relationship (i.e. consulting, research, and/or educational services) with the companies listed below. These relations have been reported to the health system leadership and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts.

Outside Interests

• Children's National Specialists of Virginia, LLC provider
• Cochlear Americas
• Shire North American Group