Currently studying at the University of Otago’s Christchurch campus Kristina Hockey is three months away from completing her PhD and is one of only two practising voice physiotherapists in New Zealand.
As one of only two practising voice physiotherapists in New Zealand, PhD candidate Kristina Hockey is on a mission to have patients’ voices heard.
Currently studying at the University of Otago’s Ōtautahi Christchurch campus, Kristina has three months left in her investigation into the ways that voice physiotherapy might be both an alternative and accessible option for people with voice and throat problems.
Her experience in the clinic has shown that while voice physiotherapists, both internationally and locally are best known for helping performing artists, such as her work supporting the Court Theatre performers, there is clear potential for this service to benefit a much broader range of people.
Wanting to investigate this clinical observation further, Kristina decided to return to her alma mater in 2021 to complete a master’s on the subject and was offered the opportunity to upgrade to a PhD.
“My research identified that there is a gap in the existing voice and throat care team that physiotherapy has the skillset and tools to fill” Kristina says.
She says voice physiotherapy, which offers a hands-on, total body approach to voice care does not reinvent the work already being done by the other voice providers such as speech language therapists, but compliments and enhances existing care by offering a unique perspective.
Kristina says her research journey has not only corroborated her professional experience but also grew her personally.
She also learnt that rather than going on hold, life carries on when a person undertakes a PhD. Through the course of her studies, she ended up running a business where she sees clients across New Zealand, getting married, and performing in both professional and community theatre productions.
“There were certainly some tough times navigating logistical challenges and the work-study-life balance but I’m fortunate that I had strong advocates and supporters in the School of Physiotherapy who backed me even when I struggled to do that myself.”
Kristina says she’s so grateful to have school staff who were so supportive as she would not have considered postgraduate study without their encouragement.
Growing up in Wellington, Christchurch and Central Otago, Kristina has seen much of the country but says she’s a South Islander at heart and so the University of Otago was the natural choice for pursing her Bachelor of Physiotherapy.
Her love of the performance arts was also a factor in choosing Otago with Dunedin's thriving theatre scene. This offered her the opportunity to pursue music, taking papers in classical voice and vocal pedagogy alongside her physiotherapy papers and regularly performing in musical theatre productions.
Her own involvement in the performing arts world led her to working in this niche field as she experienced a vocal injury in her final year of undergraduate study. This gave her a front seat experience of the voice care service and led to her being referred to the only voice physiotherapist in the country at the time, which inspired her to go down the same path.
She is appreciative of the University allowing her the unique opportunity to do her voice studies alongside her bachelor’s study, as it enabled her to complete all her tertiary education at Otago.
This unique combination of Physiotherapy and Voice studies at Otago is what set her up to pursue doing postgrad study in Melbourne in 2019 to begin working as a voice physiotherapist.
Moving forward Kristina would like to see her research strengthen the place for physiotherapy in the voice and throat care team, helping improve patient care. She also hopes to see more voice physiotherapists helping patients across New Zealand and would like to play a role in providing training to enable this.
- Kōrero by the Division of Health Sciences Communications Adviser, Kelsey Swart