Wynde Vastine & Leah B. Helou

Wynde Vastine (they/them), CCC-SLP, is a voice-specialized speech-language pathologist at San Francisco Voice & Swallowing, where they direct Passaggio, the gender affirmative voice training program. They have been working with trans voices for about 15 years through their private practice, Transformative Voice, and they have been exploring the connection between voice and identity for over 20 years through their performance work. Wynde has also organized within the LGBTQIA community for about 20 years, has taught and performed nationally and internationally, and presents regularly at conferences and universities. They frequently lead trainings related to gender affirming voice for other speech-language pathologists, voice teachers, otolaryngologists, and more. Wynde holds an MA in speech-language pathology from the University of Pittsburgh, a vocology certification from the National Center for Voice Science, and a BFA in theatre from New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

Leah B. Helou, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an assistant professor of communication science and disorders at the University of Pittsburgh. As a researcher, Dr. Helou aims to ask questions and solve problems related to the neural and psychological pathways that underpin healthy and disordered voice and speech production. She maintains several distinct yet intertwined lines of research that converge on the broad theme of “mind-voice pathways.” All of this research is relevant to, and some has focused on, the voice and communication of transgender and gender nonconforming individuals. Dr. Helou also has a strong clinical and instructional background in voice-specialized care. Informed by over 16 years as a voice therapist, Dr. Helou’s work on the construct of meta-therapy is deeply relevant to helping both novice clinicians and voice therapy patients achieve lasting success with voice therapy. She established the Transgender Voice and Communication Program at the University of Pittsburgh Voice Center in 2011 and is a 2018 recipient of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Certificate of Recognition for Special Contributions in Multicultural Affairs.