Laryngeal Surgery for Voice Modification

Speakers

Paul Paddle

Paul Paddle is an ENT Surgeon, with fellowship training in Laryngology – Voice, airway and Swallowing disorders.

He completed his advanced training in Otolaryngology in 2013, in Melbourne, Australia. In 2014, he completed a fellowship in Laryngology at Harvard University in Boston where he gained expertise in all aspects of the care of voice, airway and swallowing disorders.

Paul currently has both public and private appointments as an ENT surgeon: being founder and director of the Melbourne ENT Group and Melbourne Swallow Analysis Centre, and also working at the Melbourne Voice analysis Centre. He is also a senior consultant at Monash Health. Paul holds an Associate Professor position with Charles Sturt University, and Senior lecturer positions at both Monash University and La Trobe Universities. He is the Supervisor of ENT training at Monash Health.

Paul started performing voice affirming surgeries and care in 2018. Working closely with a team of speech pathologists with decades of experience in this field, he has expanded this aspect of his practice, and is also an active researcher and presenter in this field.

Paul also has a keen interest in public health and research. He has completed a Masters of Public Health in 2010, and a post-graduate diploma of Anatomy in 2006. He has authored a number of scientific papers, and authored a number of book chapters, and is an internationally invited speaker.

Paul is a keen musician, having an Associate Diploma of Music (AmusA) in both Piano and Viola.

Paul is proud to be a member of the International Association of Transvoice Surgeons.

Nicole Free

Dr Nicole Free practices as a Speech Pathologist in the area of voice in both public and private settings in Melbourne. Nicole is the lead Speech Pathologist in the Voice Disorders Clinic at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and has worked extensively in the acute medical, voice and laryngology settings in Australia, the UK and the USA.

She completed her PhD through Monash University in 2022, investigating the impact of vocal load and voice exercise in people with phonotraumatic vocal fold lesions. Her areas of clinical interest include working with singers, with patients with neurogenic voice disorders and in gender affirming voice care.

Her current multidisciplinary research collaborations include projects investigating voice outcomes following pitch raising surgery, and the features of laryngeal movement disorders.

Nicole is a lecturer in Speech Pathology at the Australian Catholic University and a classical singer with a degree in music performance.