Beginning Therapy

It took me decades to become a patient of the Voice Clinic at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH). I have had voice problems for over 35 years, so for years, it was attributed to recurrent laryngitis. Then more many more years various tests were done that were non-conclusive but my voice always cleared up so it didn't really matter.

Then came March 2nd, 2014. I woke up to a very broken voice and it has not worked since (although it was far, far better for ten weeks this summer). This time, though, I had the remarkably personable Dr. Del Dorscheid on my side and he referred me to the VGH clinic.

Then, eight months of waiting that ended on Sept. 23rd when I saw Dr. Morrison, the head of the clinic. That was a diagnostic appointment: Dr. Morrison said I have GERD (gastro-esopheogeal reflux disease) and he prescribed pills that have been amazing for my nose but done nothing (so far) for my voice BUT…. Today I get my first actual voice therapy and I am terribly excited because my appointment is with Dr. Ramage:

Dr. Rammage is Director of the British Columbia Provincial Voice Care Resource Program and a faculty member in the Department of Surgery and the School of Audiology and Speech Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. She completed her MSc degree in Speech-language pathology at UBC in 1979, and her PhD in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1992. She is a certified member of CASLPA, a registered member of BCASLPA, and an international affiliate member of ASHA. 

She is a co-founder of the interdisciplinary Pacific Voice Clinic, and has been specializing in Voice Science and Voice Disorders in her research, teaching and clinical activities since 1980. Dr. Rammage has published and lectured internationally on assessment and management of voice disorders, psychopathology of voice disorders, voice care for professional and occupational voice users, muscle misuse voice disorders, and various voice research topics. She is currently engaged in research on the prevalence, nature and risks of occupational voice problems in teachers, and outcomes for occupational voice rehabilitation. She is author of several textbooks in management of voice disorders. She has also authored numerous chapters for professional textbooks. 

Dr. Rammage is very involved in professional volunteer work, has served twice as President of the BC Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists, is a Past-President of CASLPA, and is a Director on the Board of the Regulatory College of Speech and Hearing Health Professions in British Columbia.