Improving care for strained and hoarse voices
Clinical Research Center for the Improved Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Vocal Hyperfunction
This center develops better ways to prevent, detect, and treat strained or hoarse voices for people with nodules, polyps, or muscle-tension voice problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11311817 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, this center brings together voice doctors, speech therapists, and engineers to understand why some people develop persistent voice strain and hoarseness. Researchers study behavioral, sensorimotor, environmental, psychological, physiological, and biomechanical factors that can cause or maintain these problems. The program uses clinical visits, ambulatory voice monitoring, and therapy development to translate findings into clearer diagnosis and improved treatments. Over time the center aims to offer improved prevention strategies, more precise diagnostics, and more effective non-surgical therapies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with persistent hoarseness, voice strain, benign vocal fold lesions (like nodules or polyps), or muscle tension dysphonia who are interested in diagnostic testing or behavioral treatments.
Not a fit: People whose voice problems are due to neurological paralysis, cancer, or structural conditions that require immediate surgery are less likely to benefit from this center's focus on hyperfunctional (behavioral) voice disorders.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to clearer diagnoses, fewer voice injuries, and more effective non-surgical treatments so people can speak with less pain, effort, and hoarseness.
How similar studies have performed: Behavioral voice therapy and voice-conservation programs have helped many people, and this center builds on those promising approaches while adding broader monitoring and interdisciplinary methods.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hillman, Robert E — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Hillman, Robert E
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.