Panel Chairs

Dr Ruth Epstein, BSc, PhD, MRCSLT is a Consultant Speech and Language Therapist and Head of RNENT Speech and Language Therapy Services (Surgery) at The Royal National ENT & Eastman Dental Hospitals, a part of The University College London Hospitals NHS  Foundation Trust. She is also Honorary Clinical Associate Professor, Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London. 

John Rubin is a Consultant ENT Surgeon at UCLH  He is an Honorary Consultant ENT Surgeon at the National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery where he co-leads the Voice and Swallowing Unit. John is honorary Visiting Professor at the School of Health Sciences, City, University of London, as well as honorary Associate Professor, Department for Targeted Intervention at University College London He is a member of numerous professional societies, serves on a number of committees and professional bodies, lectures widely and is involved in research and teaching. He has published extensively in the medical literature, including articles in medical journals, chapters in textbooks, as well as being the editor of several books. He is current Chair of the Voice Committee of the Union of European  Phoniatrics. He is a past- President of Collegium Medicorum Theatri; previous Council member of the British Laryngological Association; previous honorary Treasurer and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of ENTUK; past- President of the British Voice Association. John’s interests include poetry, sculpting, and painting.

Marion Alston qualified in 1994 and is a senior member of the Speech and Language Therapy ENT / Voice team at the Royal National ENT&ED Hospitals at UCLH, London. She has taken a lead in the development of the paediatric voice service and is involved in the multi-disciplinary paediatric voice clinic. She takes a lead in the Speech and Language Therapy-led voice clinics. She has participated in a wide range of audit projects and research, including looking at the incidence of voice disorders, patient and professional perceptions of voice disorders and occupational voice disorders. She has presented at local and international conferences on these topics. She has founded a national working party for paediatric laryngology looking at SLT service provision and professional guidelines in this specialist area. 

Ms Philippa Ratcliffe Springman, M.Sc. MRCSLT, Consultant Speech and Language Therapist, has been the Team Manager for the voice therapy team at the UK’s only specialist ENT hospital, (formerly The Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital) now renamed RNENT & EDH, UCLH, London, for 30 years.

Philippa has over 40 years’ experience and expertise in contributing to MDT assessments of and treating people with complex voice problems,. She has a special interest in performers and singers.

She uses her advanced knowledge to give lectures to Speech and Language therapy students from London Universities; and to provide training to ENT doctors and resources and training for specialist colleagues across the country.

Philippa is also actively involved in research, and has published papers and contributed to textbooks, including the latest edition of Scott Brown, the ‘Speech Therapy for ENT disorders’ section of the ENT surgeons eLearning training programme and provided training videos for the BMJ.

Jonathan Fishman BM BCh (Oxon), MA (Cantab), PhD, FRCS (ORL-HNS) is a Consultant Laryngologist and subspeciality lead for Laryngology at the Royal National ENT Hospital, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Associate Professor at University College London. He has both an adult and paediatric laryngology practice and runs weekly multidisciplinary voice clinics. He also leads the airway service and runs dedicated neurolaryngology clinics at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. He has a dedicated interest in voice disorders and neurolaryngology.

Jonathan was awarded a PhD from University College London in 2013 for his research. He has received numerous awards, grants, prizes and research fellowships and has published widely in the field of laryngology. He has lectured both nationally and internationally and has organised and chaired sessions at National, European and International meetings pertaining to laryngology. He is Senior Editor for the Journal of Laryngology & Otology, founded in 1887.

Ivor Kwame, FEBE(ORLHNS), DOHNS, MRCS, MBBS, BSc is a highly-trained laryngologost within the laryngology department at University College London. He has has completed 2 dedicated post-training senior laryngology fellowships and has extensive research and clinical expertise in neurolaryngology as well as the restorative management of complex voice, airway and swallowing disorders, particularly in professional voice users and those with inflammatory autoimmune conditions. Ivor has multidisciplinary teaching experience and dually acts as deputy educational lead for ENT undergraduate training at University College London and co-founder for several post-graduate surgical courses within UCL's prestigious Ear Institute.