Where Are They Now: Dr. Elizabeth Patterson

There is nothing to fear from change. And, sometimes, audiologists need to put themselves in a position where they are the instruments of change.

That’s the message Elizabeth Patterson, AuD ‘09, who has been a practicing audiologist for more than a half century, would like to impart on her colleagues — that audiologists should recognize change as an opportunity to help better the profession.

Dr. Patterson graduated as a master’s level audiologist in 1973 — there were no doctoral programs in clinical audiology then — from the University of Oklahoma Medical Center.

After graduation, she moved to Philadelphia to practice. At the time, it was considered unethical by professional agency standards for audiologists to dispense and sell hearing aids.

“When I tell that to some of our externs coming in now, they’re mouths drop. They can’t believe it,” said Dr. Patterson, who holds a Certificate of Clinical Competency in Audiology, is a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology and has published widely in the areas of auditory processing disorders.

For the first 10 years of her practice, she concentrated on diagnosis testing. She would try hearing aids on patients, recommend what type of hearing aids the patients should consider, and then have to refer those patients out to a hearing aid dispenser because she couldn’t provide that service herself.

“I was in my early 20s and I had some colleagues who broke away — this is where we can be instruments of change if we do it in a respectful, methodical, thought-out manner — and they opened up dispensing practices, for which they lost their memberships in the professional agency,” she said. “But, I have to take my hat off to the people who saw that this was not correct and that it needed to change.”

Another difference in the 1970s and 1980s was that audiologists could not market their services. Dr. Patterson recalls doing a preschool hearing screening one time, where the local newspaper came out and reported on the event. She was ostracized for the subsequent article in the newspaper by the profession for conducting a screening.

In the early 1980s, Dr. Patterson realized her own opportunity to be an instrument of change and started REM Audiology in Philadelphia where she eventually became licensed to dispense hearing aids. That business grew to also have offices in Marlton, New Jersey, and Voorhees, New Jersey.

In mid-career, Dr. Patterson enrolled in the then titled Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) School of Audiology (the name changed in 2008 to the Osborne College of Audiology (OCA) when Salus University was established) program in 2006, taking her time and receiving her degree online in 2009.

“I approached the program in an eager way because I just wanted to learn,” she said. “It’s about knowledge, bettering yourself and being the best you can be.” The audiology program was only six years old at the time, and under the direction of college founder, Dr. George S. Osborne. Dr. Patterson knew Dr. Osborne and was in the program during his untimely death in 2007.

“He had passion in what he believed, and that was to create an AuD program based upon on the structure of optometry. And, this is important, he realized we needed to network with our fellow professionals. He wanted to develop a relationship among the professions — optometry, audiology,” she said. “His death was a shock and a severe loss to our profession. I think about him often, even to this day, that he went too soon. He had a lot more to contribute to the profession.”

Dr. Patterson, who has served as a preceptor to several Salus OCA students over the years, has developed an expertise in the areas of hearing aids and diagnostic testing for all ages. In addition, she has developed a reputation in her skills as a pediatric and educational audiologist — maintaining a high level of expertise in central auditory processing testing and assistive auditory devices appropriate for the classroom setting. Infant hearing testing programs and subsequent follow-up testing, including hearing aid fittings, are an integral part of her work experience.

In 2018, Dr. Patterson realized she wanted the legacy of REM to continue — a legacy that supports the community and engages with professionals, schools, nursing homes and team members. She sold the company to HearingLife, a subsidiary of the Demant Group, which she believes will continue that legacy. She’s now retired and in the process of re-creating herself and may consider writing about her experiences as an audiologist. She wants to continue to encourage her colleagues to learn and grow.

In addition to that, Dr. Patterson plays the piano and was part of a group called Contemporary Ensemble — piano, violin and harp — pre-pandemic. She also likes to read and loves nature and is now learning more about climate change and how to engage with the environment to foster wildlife.

She believes audiology has come a long way in the past 50 years and will continue to evolve. One of the biggest changes she’s seen to this point in her career was the development of cochlear implants, something that has totally changed and improved the educational path of children with hearing issues.

“I think I have things to share about the changes the profession has gone through. I could share some of my experiences and encourage people to realize that this is a career, not just a job,” said Dr. Patterson, who was recently named one of the five best audiologists in Philadelphia by Kev’s Best, an independent blog. “At this point in time, I’m seeing where my spirit and my passion leads me. I don’t know yet, but I’m far from over.”