In the News

WYPR-FM - April 5, 2012

Good Cheer

Orioles opening day is Friday. Should something…exciting happen, such as knocking the Red Sox out of the playoffs in game 162, you might want to refrain from the kind of screaming you can see in the video above. So says Dr. Lee Akst, director of the Johns Hopkins Voice Center. He’s here today to tell Tom how to cheer without giving yourself polyps and nodules on your vocal cords, and what kinds of professions put people at most risk for voice problems–and it’s not just singers. Click on grey arrow key underneath the Orioles/Red Sox video.

Baltimore Times - March 16, 2012

Hopkins Doctor Says Sports Events and Cell Phones Can Harm Voice

"Yelling at basketball and baseball games, talking too much on your cell phone and other forms of overuse can damage your voice,” says Lee M. Akst, M.D., assistant professor in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and director of the Johns Hopkins Voice Center.

WBAL-AM - March 12, 2012

World Voice Day April 16

What are the red flags of an over-used voice? Lee M. Akst, M.D., assistant professor in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery talks with WBAL's Mary Beth Marsden about how to prevent vocal damage from relentless vocal stress.

NPR.org - February 10, 2012

How My Voice Went Silent by Richard Harris

Read about how Mr. Harris lost his voice because his left vocal cord had essentially paralyzed and the treatment he received from Dr. Akst.

Los Angeles Times - October 6, 2011

Adele cancels her tour due to vocal hemorrhaging -- is it serious?

Dr. Lee Akst discusses vocal hemorrhaging, a fairly common problem among singers.

Wall Street Journal.com - January 21, 2011

Woman Finds Her Voice After Rare Transplant

Dr. Akst comments in this story on the future implications of a larnyx transplant that restored the voice of a woman who had been unable to speak on her own for more than 10 years.

Baltimore Sun - December 8, 2010

Teachers put their voices to the test

Schoolteachers — much like professional singers — can take steps to protect their vocal cords. Dr. Akst comments in the Baltimore Sun, that teachers, like professional singers, are vulnerable to severe voice problems and urges teachers to take voice stress seriously. Read more about one teacher's story and tips on how teacher's can keep their voice healthy.

WallStreetJournal.com - December 3, 2010

When to Leave the Stage

Dr. Akst comments in an article about when aging singers should contemplate no longer performing because of voice issues caused by age, and the fact that rock singers are especially prone to scarring or other damage to the vocal cords.

Online Patient Seminar

Watch a patient education seminar on "Keeping your Voice Healthy" with Dr. Akst and Heather Starmer, M.A., CCC-SLP You can also read more in the article "Talking Points" fall 2010 issue of Johns Hopkins Health.