From internal echoes to sharing experiences
Transformative learning with voice apps to enhance transgender care literacy in medical students
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22069363 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Susanne Gahbauer (0000-0002-0621-5083, University of Vienna, corresponding author), Shamim Sherafat (Austrian Academy of Sciences), Michaela Wagner‐Menghin (0000-0003-1645-7577, Medical University of Vienna), Michaela Wagner-Menghin (Comprehensive Cancer Center Vienna) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Pages | 1767576-1767576 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-09 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1767576 |
| PMID | 41878111 |
| OpenAlex | W7134286470 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 28 |
Introduction: Gendered voice perception is central to gender recognition and can be a major source of distress for transgender people, yet voice and voice therapy remain marginal in medical curricula. This study examined how a digital, experiential seminar using voice-feedback applications can foster medical students' understanding of gendered voice and transgender health. Methods: We conducted a qualitative observational study within a 135-min online seminar, "Feminize Your Resonance!", embedded in a fourth-year public health module at the Medical University of Vienna. One hundred medical students used commercially available voice apps to experiment with their own pitch and resonance and submitted app screenshots and written reflections via an online learning platform. We applied a narrative analysis, based on narrative episodes in students' accounts, using a multi-stage coding process supported by qualitative data analysis software to map learning processes in several stages. Results: Analysis yielded three interlinked themes-implicit voice awareness, technology engagement, and sharing transgender experience-organized into a five-phase learning journey from pre-existing discomfort with one's recorded voice to social awareness with voice challenges of transgender individuals. Students moved from internal, often negative, self-evaluation to critical appraisal of app algorithms, exploration of their own vocal plasticity, and perspective-taking on the challenges of gender-affirming voice transition. Conclusion: Technologically mediated voice exploration can catalyze transformative learning about the role of voice in gender incongruence and support the development of affective and clinical competencies in medical education. Potentially the training facilitates communicating with transgender individuals empathically, not only related to transgender-affirming care but in all healthcare settings
Experiential learning · Health care · Literacy · Narrative · Perception · Qualitative research · Transformative learning · Transgender · Cultural Competency in Health Care · Social Media in Health Education · Voice and Speech Disorders
Phenomenology of Illness
Enhancing learning and engagement through embodied interaction within a mixed reality simulation
Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People, Version 8
Epidemiological considerations in transgender health
The Nature of Emotions
Thematic analysis
‘This app can help you change your voice’
Social anxiety, voice confrontation and voice recognition
Healthcare avoidance due to anticipated discrimination among transgender people
Voice and Communication Change for Gender Nonconforming Individuals
Clinical Aspects of Transgender Speech Feminization and Masculinization
| Highly cited | No |
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