Talk Voice 2025 Episode 3: Nicole Free & Lucy Hicklin

Nicole Free and Lucy Hicklin

An Introduction to Neurolaryngology

Sunday 9 March, 9.00-10.30 GMT / 20.00-21.30 AEDT

The theme: neurological voice disorders including laryngeal dystonia, and tremor will be discussed. Both SLT and ENT perspectives will be presented by Dr Nicole Free and Ms Lucy Hicklin on key auditory perceptual characteristics, perceptual and laryngeal assessments to form a diagnosis, and surgical and therapeutic treatment options. The session begins with a brief description of neurolaryngology and an overview of common diagnoses.

TALK VOICE is an online lecture series about the speaking voice - how it works and what to do when it doesn’t: how it communicates, how to take care of it, how to enhance its performance and effectiveness. The Talk Voice series offers a range of presenters - providers of specialist therapy, treatment and surgery, vocal coaches, professional voice users and those who’ve suffered voice issues. Our speakers so far have included Mark Mardell, Polly Evans, Dr. Nikos Spantideas, Dr. Tom Harris, Barbara Houseman, D’Arcy Smith and many more."

Dr Nicole Free is a speech pathologist, researcher and academic with over 20 years of clinical experience. Nicole is the lead speech pathologist in the Voice Disorders and Neurolaryngology Clinics at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and has worked in tertiary hospitals in Melbourne, London and New York City. Nicole is a lecturer at Australian Catholic University and is passionate about teaching research methodology and the clinical area of voice to the next generation of speech pathologists.

Ms Lucy Hicklin is a Laryngologist with a special interest in neurolaryngology. She set up the Laryngology and Neurolaryngology clinics at St Georges Hospital in London along with one of the few Joint Neurology/ENT services in the UK treating patients with complex head and neck dystonias and other neurological conditions affecting the larynx.

Host or Publisher British Voice Association