Christine Murphy Estes, M.M., M.A., CCC-SLP, PAVA-RV, is a speech-language pathologist and recognized vocologist specializing in voice, singing voice, and upper airway disorders. With more than 15 years of experience in academic medical centers, her clinical, research, and academic work has focused on interdisciplinary voice care, the evaluation and treatment of voice disorders, care of the professional and performing voice, clinical research, education, and program development.
Before joining Westchester Medical Center in 2022 as Lead Voice Specialist, where she is helping build and expand the WMC Voice & Swallow Program, Christine was a founding member of the Sean Parker Institute for the Voice at Weill Cornell Medical College. There, she contributed to the development of its interdisciplinary clinical model and helped establish the program as a leading center for voice care and research.


Christine has an extensive record of clinical research addressing questions with direct relevance to voice assessment and patient care. Her peer-reviewed publications have examined vocal fold pseudocyst, vocal fold paresis, essential voice tremor, vocal fold hemorrhage, occupational phonotrauma, and the safety and functional effects of steroid use in performers, as well as performers’ experiences with voice injury, treatment outcomes, and access to care. Her work has appeared in The Laryngoscope, Journal of Voice, Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, and Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, among other publications. She has also contributed to collaborative research advancing the conceptualization of meta-therapy in behavioral voice treatment and is the author of book chapters addressing both voice and swallowing disorders.

A frequent national presenter and educator, Christine has presented research, seminars, workshops, and masterclasses for organizations including the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), The Voice Foundation, the Fall Voice Conference, the Performing Arts Medical Association, the Pan American Vocology Association (PAVA), and the American Laryngological Association. Her educational and outreach work has also included programs for singers, actors, fitness professionals, voice teachers, and other occupational voice users. Her expertise in vocal health and rehabilitation has also been featured in national media, including The New York Times, Medium, BroadwayWorld.com, and BroadwayNews.com as well as podcasts, online publications, and performing arts media, reflecting her commitment to translating voice science and clinical expertise for broader audiences.

Christine is active in national professional leadership. She is a PAVA Recognized Vocologist and serves on the PAVA-RV Applicant Coordinating Committee. She is a graduate of ASHA’s competitive Leadership Development Program and has served on ASHA’s Voice & Upper Airway Special Interest Group Professional Development Committee and multiple ASHA Convention planning committees. She has held several leadership roles with the Fall Voice Conference and will serve as Conference Co-Director in 2027.

Education

  • Master of Arts with Distinction in Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences, Hofstra University
  • Master of Music in Opera Performance, McGill University
  • Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, Crane School of Music
  • Leadership Development Program, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Certifications

  • Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Honors and Awards

  • The Actors Fund Encore Award, 2020

Publications

    Memberships and Affiliations

    • Pan American Vocology Association Recognized Vocologist
    • The Voice Foundation
    • The National Association of Teachers of Singing

    Teaching Responsibilities

    • Adjunct Professor and Clinical Supervisor of Voice and Upper Airway Disorders