How to Find a Voice Doctor

Most doctors (even ENTs) don’t have the experience it takes to treat singers or anyone with a complex voice disorder. ENTs treat disorders of the ears, nose, head, neck, and throat. Many choose one or more specializations, such as:

• pediatric otolaryngology (children)

• otology/neurotology (ears, balance, and tinnitus)

• allergies

• facial plastic and reconstructive surgery

• rhinology (nose)

• sleep apnea

• laryngology (throat)

Even laryngologists may choose subspecialties, such as swallowing disorders or throat cancer, that focus on more than the voice. Singers will want to find a doctor who specializes in treating professional voice users. He or she will understand, for example, that a little breathiness can be a big deal. Or that losing the very top of your vocal range (notes most people don’t know the human voice is capable of) is a tragedy. Or that vocal fatigue can be an occupational hazard.

If you’re shopping for a voice-savvy ENT, look for an otolaryngologist who has completed a fellowship in Laryngology and the Care of the Professional Voice. There are just over 20 such fellowship programs in the United States.

In the Philadelphia region where I teach, I recommend:

• Robert Sataloff • Philadelphia Ear, Nose and Throat Associates: www.phillyent.com • 219 N Broad St, 10th Fl • Philadelphia PA 19107 • 215-762-5531

• Joseph Spiegel • Thomas Jefferson University: 925 Chestnut Street, 6th floor • Philadelphia, PA 19107 • 215-955-6760

• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia - Voice Clinic: www.chop.edu • 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard • Philadelphia, PA 19104 • 215-590-1000

For those who are outside the Philadelphia region, I recommend looking for a large hospital with a voice center that employs laryngologists and speech-language pathologists who specialize in voice. Examples include:

• Alabama (Birmingham): University of Alabama at Birmingham Voice Center

• California

  • Los Angeles: UCLA‘s Voice Center for Medicine and the Arts and Keck Medicine of USC’s Sound Professional and Vocal Performer Center

  • Palo Alto: Stanford Health Voice and Swallowing Center

  • Sacramento: UC Davis Center for Voice and Swallowing

  • San Francisco: UCSF Voice and Swallowing Center

• Colorado (Aurora): University of Colorado’s Voice and Airway Department

• Connecticut

  • Farmington: UConn Health’s Speech and Voice Department

  • Greenwich: Yale Medicine’s Voice Center

• Florida

  • Miami: University of Miami Laryngology and Voice

  • Weston: Cleveland Clinic Florida’s Voice Center

• Georgia (Atlanta): Emory Voice Center

• Illinois:

  • Chicago: Center for Voice at Northwestern

  • Chicago: Chicago Institute for Voice Care

  • Chicago: University of Chicago Medicine Voice Center

  • Downers Grove: Bastian Voice Institute

• Iowa: University of Iowa Health Care: Speech, Voice, and Swallowing Disorders

• Maine: Voice and Swallowing Center of Maine

• Maryland (Baltimore): Johns Hopkins Voice Center

• Massachusetts (Boston):

  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center: Voice, Speech and Swallowing Therapy

  • Brigham and Women’s Hospital Voice Program

  • Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation

  • Massachusetts Eye and Ear: Voice and Speech Laboratory

• Michigan (Ann Arbor): University of Michigan Health: Vocal Health Center at Taubman

• Minnesota:

  • Minneapolis: University of Minnesota’s Lions Voice Clinic

  • Rochester: Mayo Clinic’s Department of Laryngology and Voice Disorders

  • Rochester: University of Rochester Medicine’s Voice Center

• Missouri: Washington University Voice & Airway Center

• New Jersey (various): Penn Medicine Becker ENT and Allergy

• New York (New York):

  • Columbia University’s Center for Voice and Swallowing

  • Mount Sinai‘s Grabscheid Voice and Swallowing Center

  • NYU Langone Voice Center

  • Weill Cornell Medicine’s Sean Parker Institute for the Voice

• North Carolina

  • Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Voice Center

  • Durham and Raleigh: Duke Voice Care Center

  • Winston-Salem: Wake Forest Baptist Health Voice and Swallowing Center

• Ohio:

  • Cleveland: Cleveland Clinic Voice Center

  • Columbus: Ohio State Medical Center’s Voice Center

  • Dayton: Blaine Block Institute for Voice Analysis and Rehabilitation (BBIVAR)

• Oregon

  • Portland: OHSU Northwest Clinic for Voice and Swallowing

  • Portland: OHSU Northwest Clinic for Pediatric Voice

• Pennsylvania:

  • Philadelphia: Penn Medicine Voice and Swallowing Center
    Philadelphia: Robert Sataloff, Philadelphia Ear, Nose and Throat Associates

  • Philadelphia: Thomas Jefferson University Voice and Swallowing Center

  • Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Voice Center

• Tenneesee (Nashville): Vanderbilt Voice Center

• Texas

  • Dallas: University of Texas, Voice Center at Southwestern Medical Center

  • Houston: Texas Voice Center at Houston Methodist Hospital

  • San Antonio: UT Health San Antonio’s Voice Center

• South Carolina (Charleston): MUSC’s Institute for Voice and Swallowing

• Washington (DC): George Washington University’s Speech and Hearing Center

• Washington (Seattle): Washington University School of Medicine, Otolaryngology

• Wisconsin

  • Madison: University of Wisconsin — Madison Voice and Swallow

  • Milwaukee: Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin’s Vocal Health Program

However, many regions of the country do not have a large voice clinic, and you would be well-served by finding any fellowship-trained laryngologist. I recommend visiting the website of the American Laryngological Association, where you can search for members by location. The search feature does not function perfectly, but it provides a place to start.

Disclaimer: This blog post does not constitute medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment, or services. It simply provides general information for educational purposes only. This information is not a substitute for medical or professional care, and you should not consider it a substitute for a consultation with a physician or other healthcare provider.