Gender-Affirming Voice Care: Optimizing Care Across Regions and Practices

Monday, September 30, 2024

9:30 AM – 10:30 AM EDT

Location: MBCC, 210

CME/MOC Credit: 1

Disclosure(s):

Gregory R. Dion, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Lyndsay Leigh Madden, DO:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Keith A. Chadwick, MD, MS:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Derrick R. Randall, MD MSc FRCSC:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Gender-affirming voice and communication services include voice therapy, vocal feminization and
masculinization surgery, and chondrolaryngoplasty (tracheal shave). Experiences in incorporating gender-affirming voice and communication services into an otolaryngology practice vary widely across the United States and Canada as a result of the local political climate and State and local regulations, regional practice settings, and procedural insurance coverage. Collectively, these challenges can make effective integration of gender-affirming voice and communication services into an otolaryngology practice difficult. Recent legislative policies in various States across the country further complicate care. The East and West Coasts face different roadblocks than do rural areas or the Midwest, which face other obstacles to effective care delivery. At the same time, a thoughtful approach to maximizing voice therapy and surgical intervention when indicated and advocating for the best treatment for a patient are imperative.

This panel of experts will explore the various challenges to gender-affirming voice and communication services across various regions of the country as well as from States with vastly different regulations. Different practice patterns, referral bases, and how to overcome a mismatch between surgical and voice therapy coverage will be discussed in the setting of the most recent data on outcomes from gender affirming voice care and surgery. Voice therapy approaches and outcomes as well as surgical techniques will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

Explore ways to navigate challenges in transgender voice care across US regions, practice settings, and insurance types.
Incorporating transgender voice into an otolaryngology practice - the role of voice therapy and allied health providers.
Discuss voice therapy and surgical intervention options and outcomes in transgender voice.

Panelist(s)

Gregory R. Dion, MD

Associate Professor
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Lyndsay Leigh Madden, DO

Associate Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Winston-Salem, NC, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Moderator(s)

Keith A. Chadwick, MD, MS

Clinical Assistant Professor
Stony Brook Medicine
Stony Brook, NY, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Panelist(s)

Derrick R. Randall, MD MSc FRCSC

Clinical Associate Professor
University of Calgary
Calgary, AB, Canada

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.