National Voice Research Articles

Robot Age: Considering Robot Origin and Voice Accent

This paper investigates how social cues may influence judgements of a robots perceived age. To investigate this topic a 3 x 3 factorial study was run with the Misty II robot presenting with American, Chinese, and Mexican national origins and voice accents. In the study, the participant’s task was to estimate the robots’ age as a function of the robot’s origin and spoken accent. The results showed that Misty was thought to be the age of a teenager, but that females judged Misty to be significantly older than males. However, versions of Misty which presented with an American accent tended to produce more agreement among males and females in estimates of robot age than robots presenting with an accent identifying a Chinese or Mexican identity. Implications for the design of robot support systems for the elderly is discussed.

Recommendations for developing accessible patient information leaflets for clinical trials to address English language literacy as a barrier to research participation

BackgroundLow English language literacy is a common barrier to participation in clinical trials. Patient information leaflets (PILs) used in clinical trials are often lengthy, complex and have poor readability; this is a persistent and prevalent problem common to trials across the world. Simplifying the information provided in PILs can lead to improved understanding, comprehension and knowledge.The aim of this project was to develop recommendations for developing accessible PILs for clinical trials through a literature review of published and grey literature and co-working with marginalised communities, patients, and health and social care charities.MethodsA literature review of MEDLINE, Embase and online resources was conducted, and recommendations for developing accessible PILs were extracted from eligible published and grey literature. Grey literature which contained insights into more inclusive forms of communication was also identified and summarised. Meetings were held with two racially marginalised community groups, two groups involving autistic adults and/or adults with learning difficulties and a patient advisory group. Examples of accessible PILs were shared and discussions held about the content and format of the PILs and suggestions for changes/improvements. National Voices, a coalition of health and social care charities in England, held a national online workshop with charities and lived experience partners. Recommendations identified from the multiple sources were coded, collated and refined to develop an overarching framework of recommendations.ResultsThe framework consists of 74 recommendations for developing accessible PILs for clinical trials. Recommendations cover the five topics of formatting, information presentation, writing style, content and accessibility.ConclusionsThis project has developed a comprehensive framework of recommendations to guide researchers in the development of accessible PILs for clinical trials. Findings from previous research and from co-working with marginalised communities, patients and health and social care charities were collated to ensure that a diverse range of voices and experiences informed the framework. These recommendations aim to support researchers to develop better study information to reduce English language literacy as a barrier to participation in clinical trials.

ABHW announces new leadership, Greenberg retirement

The Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW), the national voice for payers that manage behavioral health insurance benefits for over 200 million people, announced Sept. 10 that ABWH president and CEO Pamela Greenberg will retire after 26 years at the helm of the association. Debbie Witchey has been appointed the next president and CEO, effective Oct. 1, 2024. Greenberg plans to retire in November 2024. Under Greenberg's leadership, ABHW successfully advocated for numerous policy changes that have positively impacted the delivery of mental health and substance use disorder care, from the development and approval of national behavioral health billing codes to the passage of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and changes to substance use disorder privacy laws that allow care to be better integrated and coordinated. Witchey most recently served as executive vice president and chief operating officer at the Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC) where she cultivated productive board relations, member recruitment and retention, strategic planning and financial oversight activities in addition to advocating for all sectors of the health care industry in lobbying Congress on key issues affecting HLC members, including access and coverage, population health and Medicare.

Национальные певческие голоса Советского Союза в 1920-х годах

The aim of the study is to determine the ways of describing the national voice in the 1920s. With all the multiple functions of the voice, it is most clearly manifested in singing, and, accordingly, in relation to singing, it undergoes the greatest theorization among music critics of that time. The body of the Soviet singer is marked through social class, topos and ethnicity and is endowed with multiple emotionally charged characteristics. Ultimately, many singers of that time, precisely due to their voice features, often were marked by contemporaries with the ethnographic clichés of ‘nature’ or ‘naturalness’ and formed a musical fashion for many decades. Others, though, despite possessing similar characteristics, were persecuted. The study will be devoted to the analysis of these characteristics. The novelty of the work is determined by the use of approaches to the voice characteristic of cultural studies and Western philosophy of sound, coming from the works of R. Barthes, J. Derrida and M. Dolar, in relation to the problems and tasks of the field of soviet studies. As a result, several clusters of national voices were identified: the first of them are Jewish, Gypsy and Ukrainian voices, marked mainly through class and political affiliation with previous era. The second cluster is represented by Caucasus and Central Asian voices, which possessed, on the contrary, purely colonial-ethnographic characteristics. Conclusions are made about the high level of theorization and politization of the human voice in the early Soviet period.

‘Help Shelter Mend a Broken Family’: Homes, Homelessness, and Crisis in 1960s Britain

Abstract In 1966, a new homelessness charity, Shelter, set out to redefine the homeless as impoverished families enduring poor or insecure housing rather than single men living on the street. Through a series of ‘hard-hitting’ reports and adverts, the group highlighted the destructiveness of poor housing on young families and gained a prominent national voice. This article examines Shelter’s campaigns in the 1960s to examine how debates about homes and homelessness can reframe the development of discourses of ‘crisis’ that defined the 1970s and provided a key narrative of Thatcherism. It focuses on how Shelter deployed ideas of childhood, family, and the family home, often echoing theories of leading child psychiatrists of the post-war period, to warn of the profound and acute danger that the housing crisis represented to British society. Shelter’s prominent and successful adverts and campaigns drew on growing anxieties about social and economic crisis, but did not discuss key issues of unemployment, racial discrimination, and deindustrialization. Instead, Shelter’s campaigns focused on the damage poor housing did to family life and the education and life chances of individual children. Discourses of crisis in this period are often associated with ‘inner cities’ and failing reconstruction schemes, but Shelter presented an image of social crisis that was centred in the family and the family home. By analysing how Shelter drew on fears about the coming social crisis, the article suggests that the family home and the life chances of individuals were central to popular understandings and perceptions of crisis before the 1970s.

Legacy and Evolution: Future Directions for the Canadian Nurses Association.

Established in 1908, the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) has evolved through and survived many times of triumph and tumult over the decades (CNA 2024a). But few times have found CNA in a tougher position than it is in today as we juggle the need to provide strong and effective advocacy, stewardship of the profession, a wide range of member services and a constant effort to attract voluntary members. Sustaining CNA as the national and global voice of professional nursing in Canada needs decisive support from the nurses of Canada. In this commentary, the current and past chief executive officers reflect on CNA's legacy of success and call on nurse leaders to rally support for an exciting and effective national professional association.

Embedding Public Involvement in a PhD Research Project With People Affected by Advanced Liver Disease.

Liver disease is an increasing cause of morbidity and mortality in the United Kingdom and can be challenging to live with in the advanced stages. There has been little research exploring the healthcare experiences of UK individuals with decompensated disease when the liver cannot carry out its functions properly. A PhD research project was developed with people who have liver disease to explore care experiences in decompensated advanced liver disease. Public involvement (PI) is an essential aspect of meaningful health research, and this paper reports on the progression of our PI approach in this ongoing study. To embed PI throughout the research project to ensure that the study is meaningful to individuals with liver disease and the people who support them. The research adopts a Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology to develop a theory of care experience. Various PI approaches were considered in developing the PI strategy for this qualitative study. Initially, Embedded consultation was the preferred model, which has evolved to include aspects of collaboration and coproduction. A PI group was set up to oversee the project through the national public engagement website VOICE, and reflections on PI from three members of the group are included in this paper to illuminate the PI process. Six individuals with liver disease and three carers from across the United Kingdom are part of an ongoing PI group. Their role includes commenting on the findings of the systematic literature review for this project and contributing to decisions about recruitment, data collection and data analysis. Additionally, they had a direct impact on changing the focus of the research. The PI group will continue involvement until the completion of the project. Successfully embedding PI into doctoral research, as demonstrated in this project, requires commitment, planning and dedication to reciprocal working for the benefit of PI contributors as well as the research. This approach could be adopted by other postgraduate researchers. This project is overseen by the PI group, whose contribution is described throughout, including reflections from three PI group members.

The Women Who Built the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum Collection

This essay explores the work of women who shaped the collection of the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum: Historian and Director of Research Louise Daniel Hutchinson (1928–2014), Curator Portia James (1953–2015), and Historian Gail S. Lowe (1950–2015) whose exhibitions and projects built a rich community-based collection. Hutchinson’s work during the formative years of 1974 to 1986 elevated local voices in the research process and brought educator, Anna J. Cooper (1858–1964) out of obscurity. Portia James’ including community voices and perspectives in the exhibition process, resulting in her most celebrated exhibitions: Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity Among Black Immigrants in Washington, D.C. (1994). Her project amassed a large amount of oral history interviews, photographic documentation, and research files. Gail S. Lowe’s projects expanded the museum collection to include national and international voices on issues that resonated with the local community. Her exhibition exploring contemporary African American religious traditions, generated primary research materials on diverse faiths and spiritual traditions espoused by African Americans in Washington, D.C., and selected cities across the country. The collective work of all these women generated a wealth of resources and invaluable information that continues to be consulted by scholars and the public.

British Models of Person Centered Medicine

Background: The National Health Service (NHS) was established in 1948 as a publicly funded healthcare system in the UK providing universal health coverage that is comprehensive, equitable and free at the point of delivery. The British experience of person centered medicine (PCM) is enshrined in the NHS constitution. Objectives: The objective of this study was to highlight important developments in and evolution of PCM within the NHS in person-centered care (PCC), research and innovations in undergraduate and graduate health education. Methods: This is a narrative overview of the British experience of PCM. Results: It is evident that the British experience and practice of PCM have evolved naturistically over seven decades since the establishment of the NHS. Academic research groups in collaboration with the NHS have introduced person-centered models of care supported by pivotal research in practice. Importantly, person-centered nursing has been widely adopted following the early development of a framework for person-centered nursing and its extensive evaluation. There emerged many initiatives on PCM by National Voices, the Health Foundation, British medical schools and the Royal Medical Colleges. The landmark development was the production by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK of the first blueprint for a postgraduate psychiatric curriculum that is in tune with person-centered psychiatry. Conclusions: It is envisaged that the NHS will evolve and increasingly promote, adopt, codesign and implement PCC approaches adapted to the local, regional and national contexts including services redesign, health education and applied health research. These innovations contribute to the universal development of person-centered healthcare and health education.

“Let the Breath Drop In”: The Story of Canada’s National Voice Intensive

“Let the Breath Drop In”: The Story of Canada’s National Voice Intensive

Voice versus Rights: The First Nations Voice and the Australian Constitutional Legitimacy Crisis

Voice versus Rights: The First Nations Voice and the Australian Constitutional Legitimacy Crisis

Legal Studies: First Nations Voice: What should it talk about, and who should listen?

Legal Studies: First Nations Voice: What should it talk about, and who should listen?

The role of a First Nations Voice for delegated legislation

This article explores the role of a proposed Indigenous Voice in relation to Australia's largest source of new law: delegated legislation. It argues that in order for the Voice to have a meaningful role in the federal lawmaking process and fulfil its purpose, it must engage closely with the delegated lawmaking process. In particular, Parliament should provide the Voice with robust consultation and scrutiny functions for relevant delegated legislation, including the power to recommend its disallowance to both Houses of the Parliament.

World Voice Day 2023

World Voice Day 2023 Robert T. Sataloff (bio) CARE OF THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE Each year, the journal of singing publishes an issue highlighting World Voice Day. The journal is committed to collaborating with the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), the Voice Foundation, and other organizations to support World Voice Day. This article is modified periodically and republished before World Voice Day (April 16th) in order to remind people to prepare to participate in its commemoration. This topic has been discussed previously by the author and others (see References). All singing and acting teachers, physicians, speech-language pathologists, nurses, voice patients, and others who care for and about the voice, should work together to raise awareness of the importance of the voice and of developments in voice care. Some years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized a particularly high rate of laryngeal cancer in Brazil. In April, 1989, the Executive Committee of the Sociedade Brasileira de Laringologia e Voz (Brazilian Association of Laryngology and Voice), a multidisciplinary society that includes physicians, speech-language pathologists and singing teachers, proposed April 16th as “Voice Day.” Later, that idea was transformed to a national voice week, and even a voice month in some locations. Soon, other societies around the world recognized the importance of public education about voice; and the European Laryngological Association (www.elsoc.org), the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAOHNS) (www.entnet.org), the Voice Foundation (www.voicefoundation.org), the American Laryngological Association (ALA) (www.alahns.org), American Bronchoesophagological Association (www.abea.net), the National Association of Teachers of Singing (www.nats.org), and other organizations began collaborating to establish an annual celebration of voice. The AAO-HNS recognized this event in 2002, and the name World Voice Day was adopted. World Voice Day was celebrated in the United States for the first time on April 16, 2003, supported by the AAO-HNS, the Voice Foundation, the American Laryngological Association, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and numerous other societies and organizations. A summary of the evolution of World Voice Day can be found on the website of the AAO-HNS, at World-Voice-Day.org, and in a 2007 editorial by Svec and Behlau. Typically, World Voice Day activities include lectures, concerts, educational programs, clinical voice screenings, and media events scheduled to take place on and around April 16th. Web-based educational initiatives may be found through the AAO-HNS, Voice Foundation and World-Voice-Day.org websites, and elsewhere. Laryngologists, speech-language pathologists, [End Page 483] nurses, singers, singing teachers, actors, acting teachers and others organize celebratory events in cities throughout the world. Voice professionals are bound together by a commitment to expand public appreciation of and knowledge about the human voice, and to raise awareness about the importance of good voice health and education. For example, in Philadelphia, Voice Foundation World Voice Day events have included a PECO Crown Lights display visible throughout much of the city, singing performances, and lectures on voice care, readings for children at venues such as libraries, stand-up comedy performances, cabaret events, and other activities. Extensive events honoring World Voice Day take place each year in Lisbon, Portugal, under the auspices of Professor Mario Andrea; in the Detroit area under the guidance of Dr. Adam Rubin; in Pittsburgh with Dr. Libby Smith; in San Francisco with Drs. Clark Rosen and VyVy Young; in Los Angeles under the guidance of Dr. Michael Johns; in Cleveland through Dr. Michael Benninger; in Paris with Dr. Jean Abitbol; in Beirut under the supervision of Dr. Abdul Hamdan; and in many other cities. In addition to the physician-led events, the National Association of Teachers of Singing supports World Voice Day actively, and many events throughout the United States are organized by singing teachers, as well as by speech-language pathologists and other voice professionals. Future activities are likely to be even more expansive. Many will be coordinated through the relatively new ad hoc World Voice Day planning committee, notable for its broad international representation. The group’s initial meeting was held in Erlangen, Germany, on July 4, 2012; and the organization is committed to sharing...

Pediatric sport and exercise medicine: Eight things clinicians and patients should question.

Choosing Wisely Canada (CWC) is the national voice for reducing unnecessary tests and treatments in Canada. A small working group created by the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine developed a list of pediatric sport and exercise (SEM) recommendations based on existing research, experience, and common practice patterns. These recommendations identify tests and treatments commonly used in pediatric musculoskeletal assessments that are not supported by evidence and could expose patients to harm. Iterative feedback from key stakeholders informed the final list. The final list comprises eight recommendations including imaging recommendations for Osgood Schlatter's disease, shoulder and knee injuries, back pain, scoliosis, spondylolysis, distal radial buckle fractures, minor head injury/concussion, and management of chronic pain syndromes. Adopting these CWC pediatric SEM recommendations as part of routine practice may optimize care and minimize unnecessary investigations and treatments.

Voice versus Rights: The First Nations Voice and the Australian Constitutional Legitimacy Crisis

Voice versus Rights: The First Nations Voice and the Australian Constitutional Legitimacy Crisis

Federalism and a First Nations Voice (Comment)

Federalism and a First Nations Voice (Comment)

A First Nations Voice and the Exercise of Constitutional Drafting

A First Nations Voice and the Exercise of Constitutional Drafting

Silence, Voice, and Public Listening: Media Coverage of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

The Norwegian Parliament appointed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in 2018 to investigate past injustices inflicted by the Norwegian state upon Norway’s Indigenous people, the Sámi, and two national minorities, the Kvens and the Norwegian Finns, as well as to create a foundation for reconciliation between these minorities and the majority population. This study investigates the media coverage of the TRC from 2016 to 2021. We found shrinking and uneven media coverage over time. Whereas news logics in minority and local media favoured TRC news and debates, coverage in nationwide mainstream news media was rare. While some explanations for these differences relate to marginalisation of Indigenous and national minority voices in media, others can be linked to the TRCs work methods and practices, which are designed to not attract journalistic attention until the final report is published in 2023.

Narrative resilience in the cross-regional support of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 outbreak: The Chinese experiences of cultural input

The healthcare staff who supported Wuhan's rescue work were the first batch of cross-regional supporters during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. To determine the cultural factors that affected their mental health and resilience, as well as the processes that organizations and individuals underwent to transform cultural resources into benefits. This study collected narrative materials in the form of national and individual statements and used Social Ecology of Resilience theory to analyse them. It identified and analysed the cultural factors of resilience in macrosystems, mesosystems, and microsystems according to four themes, namely: cognition, emotion, will, and behaviour. Altogether, it was found that the national voice adopted an optimistic narrative tone reminiscent of that used during the context of war and that the personal or public voice approved of it. The study revealed that the party and government's use of moral narration derived from its heritage culture and its belief in its continuity in new China's culture served as a mechanism of cultural resilience and mobilisation. The above is the experience of the operation of living culture (LC) and cultural heritage (CH) mentioned in Culture Based Development (CBD). In light of this, it was concluded that the predominant form of cultural input during China's national public health crisis has been storytelling with narrative resilience.