Never has vocal wellness been more threatened in the 21st century than the last two and a half years of the global pandemic. COVID has wreaked havoc on the mental health and livelihoods of occupational voice-users (OVU) and performers in particular. Aside from the obviously devastating social, economic and wellbeing impacts, and associated lockdowns and lifestyle changes, COVID ’s proclivity for entry and passage through the unified airway and symptom complex has also directly jeopardised vocal health. In comparison, presentations of Irritable larynx syndrome, vocal paresis, chronic cough, respiratory infection, functional airway obstruction disorder (vocal cord dysfunction, EDAC and dysfunctional breathing), muscle tension dysphonia and related vocal fatigue syndromes have been disproportionately represented over this period.

In this presentation, Debbie will review the recent laryngology literature, present clinical data and reflect on her recent experiences working clinically as a speech pathologist with different voice user groups and as a voice consultant working in the massively-disrupted but resilient performing arts industry. She will describe her observations of shifts in voice care and suggestions how to be better equipped to adapt to the continued physical and psychological challenges to vocal health and ways in which to increase vocal fortitude. As all now try to breathe easier and performers somewhat gingerly return to ‘treading the boards’, there is a need to pre-habilitate and think smarter so as to be well armoured and build vocal sustainability in a changed and still changing environment.

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About Associate Professor Debra Phyland

Dr Debbie Phyland is a speech pathologist having primarily worked for the past 36 years in acute hospital settings, part-time lecturing in voice, neurological and dysphagia subjects and running her private voice practice. Debbie is also a music theatre singer-performer combining her love of performance with her speech pathology career, bringing voice medicine to the performing arts. As well as being a co-founder and owner of the Melbourne Voice Analysis Centre team, Debbie is the principal speech pathologist (SP) for Voice Medicine Australia (a team of 8 speech pathologists dedicated to all things ‘splaryngology’). She is appointed as Associate Professor for the School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University working part-time as Director of Clinical Research Director for the ENT, Head and Neck Department of Monash Health.

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For over twenty-two years, Debbie has been the resident voice consultant for Melbourne Theatre Company and countless professional national music theatre productions, including currently Frozen, Moulin Rouge and Six the Musical. In recognition of her sustained input, she was the recipient of a Victorian Green Room Award ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Melbourne Stage’ in 2012 and an Australian Voice Association award for ‘Outstanding contribution to the Australian voice community’ in 2014.  

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Debbie is well published and regularly invited to present at international conferences. In 2002, she was the recipient of a Churchill Fellowship and along with Fellowship category (2014), Debbie has also been honoured with the prestigious Speech Pathology Australia Association’s Elinor Wray Award (2010) for ‘Outstanding contribution to the profession’. She has won several other awards and scholarships, including a two-year fulltime Garnet-Passe Post-Doctoral fellowship, 2016-2018.

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Debbie is a past-president of the Laryngology Society of Australasia (2014-2017), past board member of the Australian Voice Association and current Chair of the Voice Committee for International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP).  Her research and clinical interests include neurolaryngology, professional and occupational voice disorders, outcome measurement, functional airway obstruction disorders, voice assessment and rehabilitation.