In the Lead, Loudly and Clearly
Forty years after founding Main Line Audiology, Dr. Kathy Landau Goodman confidently welcomes her protégé, Dr. Brian Harrington, into the leadership circle.
Brian Harrington, Au.D., is one of those lucky people who knew from a young age what he wanted to do with his life. While he wasn’t specifically targeting audiology from the start, he did recognize that he wanted to follow his father, a rheumatologist, into health care so he could make a positive impact on people’s lives.
Now, more than two decades into his career as an audiologist, the feedback he receives from patients on a regular basis acts as daily confirmation that he followed the right path.
“I just had a lady in this morning who was crying happy tears because her improved hearing had changed her life,” Dr. Harrington says. “People will often say, ‘Why did I wait so long? This makes such a difference.’ It’s why I love this job, because as soon as you put the hearing aids in and say one word, you can see their body language change and their face light up. When they have a husband or wife, or a son or daughter with them, the emotions really come out. It’s why we do what we do.”
Also influenced by an uncle who was a speech pathologist, Dr. Harrington focused on audiology because he was drawn to the way in which it combined science and technology. He received his bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College and his master’s in audiology from Bloomsburg University before finding yet another mentor in Kathy Landau Goodman, Au.D., who hired him at Main Line Audiology in 2003.
Forty years after founding the thriving practice, which has six locations in the Philadelphia area, Dr. Goodman has welcomed Dr. Harrington into the practice’s leadership circle.
“I’ve been working with Kathy for 20 years, and I learned everything from her,” Dr. Harrington says. “I think it’s definitely something I’m ready for. I’ve been working closely with Kathy for all these years and she’s been great to me. She’s built a tremendous practice here; I feel like we have the best service in the entire Delaware Valley. We have a great team, probably the best group of audiologists that we’ve had in my 20 years here, so I’m very confident we’re going to continue to grow and be successful.”
Main Line Audiology offers comprehensive care for hearing loss, starting with testing to rule out any additional medical issues. After the thorough evaluations are complete, the team devises a customizable solution for each patient, because no two cases are the same.
“We try to separate ourselves from the big-box type of practices with our concierge service,” Dr. Harrington adds. “A lot of our patients feel like it’s a family atmosphere, and that’s why I’ve been here so long. I’ve established great relationships with my patients, and I try to give them the best treatment possible.”
Several factors can affect hearing loss, notably the normal aging process. Family history, illness, and consistent exposure to loud noises might also weigh on the functionality of the ears. Hearing loss is an often overlooked aspect of health care, but if left untreated can lead to isolation and depression, among other issues that can negatively affect a person’s health and quality of life.
“Everyone 65 and over should have a baseline, but as I approach 50 years of age, I’m telling all of my friends to get their hearing checked,” Dr. Harrington says. “You should have it done every few years to make sure everything is fine. Everybody gets their eyes checked, their teeth checked, but hearing seems to fall by the wayside. We try to stress to our patients that it’s a good idea to at least have a baseline, so if there is a change, we can tell when the shift happened and find out what’s going on.”
Main Line Audiology has well-established relationships with all of the leading hearing-aid manufacturers, including Phonak, Oticon, and Starkey. It also employs Lyric, an invisible, extended-wear device from Phonak that stays in the ear for up to two months.
The practice has always been on the cutting edge of advancements in audiology, and Dr. Harrington stresses that its forward-thinking approach will remain unchanged.
“Whenever there’s something new that comes out, we’re always the first to get it and to be trained on it,” he says. “That’s so important in this field, because if you’re not up to speed on the technology, you can fall behind.”
He recalls the technology he became familiar with when he started in a clinic at Bloomsburg University: single-channel hearing aids whose volume patients had to adjust themselves. Technology has made innumerable advances since then.
“Now, everything is 100 percent digital, and most of the companies are going toward all rechargeable,” he says. “Bluetooth technology evolved, so you can take phone calls, stream music, stream TV shows. We now have waterproof hearing aids through one company. It’s come a long way, and as far as adjusting goes from an audiologist’s standpoint, there are infinite amount of adjustments that we can make for our patients.”
Dr. Harrington is eager to assume his new role and to build on the foundation established by the esteemed Dr. Goodman. If any obstacles arise, he knows exactly where to find her.
“I feel like over the 20 years, she’s given me the knowledge I need and the ability to help all of our patients,” he says. “I need a little more advice on the business side, but we have a strong team: great front-desk staff, a great biller, and great audiologists. John Ruales, our operations manager, has been absolutely phenomenal—he’ll be side by side with me and that will be a big help too. I’m excited to get started.”
For more information about Main Line Audiology, including details about its six area locations, visit mainlineaudiology.com.
Photo by Jody Robinson
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, August 2023.
