Though he was born with profound hearing loss, Dr. Kathy Landau Goodman’s dad didn’t let it get in the way of a full, rich life. “He had no usable hearing and communicated with lipreading,” says the Bala Cynwyd resident. “He never let his hearing loss interfere with anything he wanted to accomplish in life. His attitude was incredibly positive, and he viewed each setback as a challenge.”
With that serving as her inspiration, Goodman received her doctorate in audiology from Central Michigan University and a dual master’s degree in audiology and speech-language pathology from Hahnemann Medical College. She founded Main Line Audiology Consultants in 1984. “I was the first audiologist to open a private practice in Philadelphia’s suburbs,” says Goodman.
In addition, Goodman is a member of several national audiology associations and chairs the Audiology Awareness Campaign, a national effort to educate the public about the value of hearing care.
Through the years, MLAC has grown to employ six full-time audiologists, with support staff. The practice’s five locations provide services to more than 50 retirement communities, assisted-living facilities and nursing homes in the Philadelphia area. For the past 27 years, MLAC has supplied full audiology services to the School District of Philadelphia. “My colleagues thought it would never be possible for me to sustain a practice, especially as a female,” says Goodman. “I’m happy to say the field has significantly changed.”
