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VOICE MEDICINE AUSTRALIA

Category: News

A chat with Dr. Christine Sapienza

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VMAConnect hosts . . .
Online Webinar:
VOICE is more than EMST
A chat with Dr Christine Sapienza

DATE: Thursday 10th July, 7:30pm AEST
VENUE: Zoom Link is provided on RSVP
COST:
VMA+ Members: FREE
VMAConnect Members: FREE
Non-Member: $50

Voice Medicine Australia
BSB: 063 138
Account Number: 10904906

RSVP: connect@voicemedicine.au

Dr Christine Sapienza
Speech Pathologist – PhD, CCC–SLP

Dr. Christine Sapienza is a distinguished academic and clinical professional whose career spans over three decades in the field of Communication Sciences and Disorders. As a highly respected scholar, mentor, speech-language pathologist, and innovator, Dr. Sapienza’s contributions to both academic research and clinical practice have been transformative, particularly in the areas of speech pathology and the development of tools for improving respiratory and speech function.

Dr. Sapienza’s scholarship focused particularly in the area of respiratory muscle strength and its relation to breathing, voice, and airway management. Her research advanced both theoretical frameworks and practical interventions. Her publications in peer-reviewed journals have been influential, and her work is frequently cited in the field.

Dr. Sapienza’s research contributions also extended into the development of clinical tools, the most notable of which is the Expiratory Muscle Strength Trainer (EMST), a device she co-invented. The EMST 150 is a portable device designed to strengthen the expiratory muscles, which play a crucial role in both respiratory function and speech production. This device has had a profound impact on patients with respiratory impairments, neurological disorders, and voice dysfunctions, providing a targeted, evidence-based therapy that has improved countless individuals’ speech and overall health. The EMST 150 continues to be widely used in clinical settings across the globe.

Join Us at the IALP Congress 2025 in Malta!

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The International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP) Congress is set to take place in Malta in August 2025. Held every three years, this prestigious event brings together experts from around the world to share the latest advancements in speech, language, and voice sciences.

📅 Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and collaborate with global leaders in the field.

🔗 Learn more and register here: IALP Congress 2025

Working with Gender Affirming Voice with Christella Antoni

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We are thrilled to have Christella, well-recognised and highly experienced, present to us in this VMA Connect Webinar.  Christella will outline her approach to working with transgender and gender-diverse voices based on her 28 years working as a leading expert in this field.  The overview will include aspects of her work methods for working with both trans-feminine and trans-masculine individuals.  Voice modification interventions and ways of supporting clients through the process of voice change will also feature in the presentation.

DA TE: Tuesday 25th February, 7:30pm AEDST

VENUE: Zoom. Link is provided on RSVP

COST: VMA+ Members: FREE  // VMAConnect Members: FREE  //  Non-Member: $40

Voice Medicine Australia
BSB: 063138
Account Number: 10904906

RSVP: connect@voicemedicine.au

Christella Antoni is a Senior Voice Specialist Speech & Language Therapist. She specialises in a wide range of voice work from voice disorders to singing and performance voice and has worked with Oscar, BAFT A and Brit award winning performers.

Christella is the leading U.K expert in the field of transgender voice, a member of WPA TH & EPA TH, IA TVS and lecturer in transgender and gender diverse voice at University College London (UCL).

Qualifying in 1995 from UCL, Christella worked for over 20 years in U.K NHS services including 2 Lead Clinician for Voice posts. She co-ran the Joint Voice Clinic at Charing Cross Hospital with Professor Guri Sandhu. Currently, Christella works primarily in independent practice, maintaining close links with leading ENT consultants and voice practitioners nationally & internationally.

Training, resource development and supervision of SLTs forms a significant part of Christella’s work. Together with Speech Tools Limited, she devised the VoiceUp voice feminisation app.

Publications include: Pitch in transgender and gender non-conforming voice care, (2023); Voice & Speech Training for the Transgendered Patient: What the Otolaryngologist Should Know (2022) & ‘Principles of Speech & Language Therapy’ in Practical Laryngology, (2016)

Television and radio broadcasts include: This Morning, ITV; Stephen Fry’s English Delight, BBC Radio 2; The Vox Project, Hosted by Clare Balding, BBC radio 2; The Voice, (documentary); BBC4; A Voice Like Honey, hosted by Jan Ravens, BBC Radio 2

 

Prof Eric Hunter talks Occupational Voice

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OCCUPATIONAL VOICE USE: What is clinically relevant when considering the interplay of vocal effort, vocal demands, and vocal production

Guest: Prof. Eric Hunter

Dr. Eric J. Hunter is currently the department head of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Iowa. He is a voice scientist known for his expertise in voice production and vocal health, particularly in occupational settings. He has conducted extensive research on voice production in different acoustic environments, vocal fatigue and recovery, especially among teachers. His work has had a significant impact on understanding the biomechanics of vocal fold posturing, occupational vocal health, and the effects of aging on voice production. Dr. Hunter has a master’s in physics and math from Brigham Young University, then earned his PhD from the University of Iowa. He has had positions at the National Center for Voice and Speech, the University of Utah, Michigan State Michigan State University, and the University of Iowa. He has published over 100 research papers and book chapters and is a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America

THURSDAY: Thursday, 31st October 8pm AEDT

VMA Connect+ Members: FREE – VMA Connect Basic Members: FREE Non-Members: $30

RSVP: Email connect@voicemedicine.au for webinar link and payment details

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FLYER

AVA National Conference for 2024

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05 Oct 2024, 9:00 am – 06 Oct 2024, 4:30 pm

Melbourne, 131-135 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

About the event

The AVA Board is delighted to announce the AVA National Conference for 2024, to be held at Citadines on Bourke, Melbourne, on October 5th and 6th. This year’s theme, ‘Harmony in Voice – Bridging Art and Science’ is a unique opportunity to interpret and discuss the intersection between the voice as a physical phenomenon and its impact on both the arts and the artist. The human voice is uniquely physiological, psychological, biosocial, and creative. At a time when science offers a greater understanding of how the voice functions, we find ourselves at a crossroads of traditional pedagogy and practice integrated with current analysis and research. The outcome is a more advanced understanding of how we link and deliver the artistic and scientific disciplines of the voice. At this year’s conference we will investigate this dynamic field through multiple artistic and scientific perspectives.

Meet our presenters for our conference topic: ‘Paediatric Voice in Performance’ on Sunday 6th October!
Dr Debra Phyland, speech pathologist, Associate Professor at Monash University, and co-founder of Melbourne Voice Analysis Centre presents: ‘Enhancing and Maintaining Vocal Resilience in Child Performers’.  
Alessandra Giannini, voice clinician and a leader in the assessment and treatment of paediatric voice disorders, presents: ‘Children’s Hoarse Voices: Towards a Better Understanding’
Debra and Alessandra will be joined by Peter Rutherford, music director, composer, voice teacher and lecturer at the Victorian College of the Arts, The University Of Melbourne.
Join us at our upcoming conference with these three amazing speakers and many more!

Register today at www.australianvoiceassociation.com/conference-register

We look forward to seeing you there!

VMA Connect

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Speech Pathologists-Be a part of our global voice and laryngology loving network!  We are so excited to invite you to become a member of VMA Connect, a platform for clinical sharing, education, support, updates and tips on all things voice and laryngology-related.

  • VMA Connect membership is open to Speech Pathologists worldwide. (Sorry no students at this time).
  • There are two memberships categories: VMAConnect Basic ($70AUS/year) and VMA+ ($220.00AUS/year)
  • VMA Connect Basic (Tier 1) Membership includes:
    • A welcome package for you including our favourite outcome measures that VMA Speech Pathologists commonly use, therapy resources and copies of some of our patient handouts.
    • Our VMA Good Vibrations newsletter connecting you with the latest tips and advice including an article review, treatment approach update and opportunity to ask questions to our very own Dear Aunt Ethel Murmur
    • Regular updates regarding CPD opportunities and reviews.
    • Access to 3 or more clinically-focussed ‘inhouse’ webinars for free throughout the year on popular clinical topics. (Previous webinars include Paediatric voice with Alessandra Giannini, Spasmodic dysphonia and tremor with Sarah Schneider USA, Vocal Cord Dysfunction, The Misbehaving Larynx, Voice therapy: tips ands tricks and many others with Dr Debbie Phyland).
    • 2 x 15 minute 1:1 conversations or with one of our experienced voice therapists over a calendar year for those extra tricky cases or questions.
    • Discounted registration to the Voice Medicine Australia workshops
    • Regular virtual casual lounge-room chats with members
    • JOIN HERE
  • VMA Connect+ (Tier 2) Membership includes:
    • Everything included in Tier 1 membership
    • Quarterly 1:1 mentoring sessions (2 hours total)
    • Heavily discounted VMA external workshops
    • Regular case conferences with the VMA team-with your cases
    • Inclusion in our preferred providers register
    • JOIN HERE
  • Please contact Natasha Curham, Director of Communications and Development, on voicemedconnect@gmail.com to ask for more information or to simply join.

Telehealth and voice

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At Voice Medicine Australia we have been offering online consultations for many years and found them to work extremely well and keep us all globally connected.

During this time of COVID-19 we are using virtual or online sessions for almost all voice therapy or other related speech pathology sessions, so it’s business as usual.

We will offer some limited face-to-face sessions if crucial but believe online is an ideal option for your and our safety and convenience. You can choose Skype, Zoom, Facetime or other platforms and we will talk you through set-up so we optimise the experience.

Contact info@melbvoice.com.au to arrange your online appointment and we can still keep your voice and wellbeing a top priority.

Interview with Deb on ‘That Show with Mahy’

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In this interview by Stephen Mahy, Debbie Phyland offers her candid thoughts and experiences working with performers over the years and highlights the importance of vocal injury prevention. Improving and maintaining vocal fitness are key to a healthy voice and Deb encourages all to use any performance ‘downtime’ to do a regular vocal workout, reconnect to the joy of singing and sing the blues away!

Is your voice telling on you? Register for one of our online seminars and prevent vocal fatigue.

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We have had a surge of clients with vocal fatigue from online consultations, virtual teaching and distance socialisation. Is that you too? There are many quick and effective ways that help you prevent this fatigue from becoming cumulative and from reducing vocal stamina. We offer one hour low cost vocal health webinars and can also provide specific workshops for your workplace if you prefer a program specially designed for your professional development or occupational health needs. Book an appointment now for a voice program especially tailored for your needs  or register for one of our voice webinars so you can voice the distance!