Your voice...perhaps the most underrated and misunderstood human ability.  For an ankle sprain, you go see a trainer, a physical therapist, a sports doc, you wear a brace, get taped, do some exercises.  For vocal injuries, for vocal dysfunctions, what do you do? How do you make your voice better? How do you improve your performance? Well, just like athletes, vocalists have vocal coaches, speech therapists, and voice doctors whose life’s work is dedicated to keep vocalists performing.  

So to learn more about caring for the professional voice, Yasi and Steven talk to Robert Sataloff, MD, world renowned otolaryngologist and the leader of The Voice Foundation, the world’s oldest and leading organization dedicated to voice research, medicine, science, and education. He is joined by Deanna McBroom, AATA liaison to The Voice Foundation, Singing Teacher and Singing Voice Specialist through the Voice Institute at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC.

For the Voice Foundation, go to https://voicefoundation.org/

For Athletes and the Arts, go to https://www.athletesandthearts.com/

For more on Dr Sataloff, go to https://drexel.edu/medicine/faculty/profiles/robert-sataloff/

Bios:

Deanna McBroom, MM is a Singing Teacher and works as a Singing Voice Specialist through the Voice Institute at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. She has worked closely with MUSC laryngologist Dr. Lucinda Halstead to treat injured singers since they both attended The Voice Foundation’s annual symposium in 1986. She recently retired from college-level teaching at The College of Charleston, where she led the voice program in providing conservatory-level training in a Liberal Arts & Sciences environment. She’s also maintained a singing career for 40+ years, performing in recitals, orchestral concerts, and operas throughout the US and in Europe. 

Ms. McBroom is the Steering Committee representative to Athletes and the Arts from both The Voice Foundation (TVF) and from the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA). Her passion for healthy singing led her to assist both NATS and PAMA with their 2019-2021 guidelines and research tools for singers and teachers to deal with Covid-19. She frequently presents research papers and workshops at international meetings; journals with articles published include Journal of Voice and College Music Symposium. 

Robert T. Sataloff, MD, DMA, FACS is Professor and Chairman, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Academic Specialties, Drexel University College of Medicine. Dr. Sataloff is Director of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences Research at the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, and Director of Otolaryngology Education at Lankenau Medical Center. He also holds Adjunct Professorships in the Departments of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University, Temple University and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine; and he is on the faculty of the Academy of Vocal Arts. He serves as Conductor of the Thomas Jefferson University Choir. Dr. Sataloff is also a professional singer and singing teacher.

Dr. Sataloff is Chairman of the Boards of Directors of the Voice Foundation and of the American Institute for Voice and Ear Research. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Voice; Editor Emeritus of Ear, Nose and Throat Journal; Associate Editor of the Journal of Singing; on the Editorial Board of Medical Problems of Performing Artists, and is an editorial reviewer for numerous otolaryngology journals. He has written over 1,000 publications including 71 books, and he has been awarded more than $5 million in research funding.

His medical practice is limited to care of the professional voice and to otology/neurotology/skull base surgery. He has developed numerous novel surgical procedures and is recognized as one of the founders of the field of voice, having written the first modern comprehensive article on care of singers, and the first chapter and book on care of the professional voice, as well as having influenced the evolution of the field through his own efforts and through the Voice Foundation for over 4 decades. Dr. Sataloff has been recognized by Best Doctors in America (Woodward White Athens) every year since 1992, Philadelphia Magazine since 1997, and Castle Connolly’s “America’s Top Doctors” since 2002.