Meet Erika Woodson, MD, Medical Director of Hearing Implant Program

Erika Woodson, MD, was the first person in her family to attend college. She grew up in an underserved, economically depressed small Appalachian town where few students from her county high school went to college.

“I feel very fortunate to be where I am today,” she says, “and I recognize that luck and grit are as critical to success as intelligence and skill.”

Today, as an otolaryngologist, she’s driven by the possibilities that occur at the intersection of technology and patient care, such as cochlear implantation (an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear).

Cochlear implantations (CI) have existed during Dr. Woodson’s lifetime, but she says it’s only been in the past three years that the needle has moved on candidacy requirements. “This progress allows us to qualify patients who are struggling with their hearing loss, but told they were ‘too good’ for a CI in the past,” she explains. “We are far from having it all figured out and so there’s so much opportunity still for innovation.”

You are the Medical Director of our Hearing Implant Program. What can you tell us about this work?

I co-direct this program with Sarah Sydlowski, PhD, AuD, the audiologic director. There have been so many new developments in cochlear implantation, just in the time I’ve been in practice. We now routinely offer cochlear implants to patients with partial but not total deafness. Our team is innovating ways to identify candidates and streamline the process for patients who need this technology. Our program mostly serves adults who have lost their hearing over time. Giving these patients their ability to communicate with their loved ones and the world is by far the most emotionally satisfying part of my practice. You change that person’s life forever.

How do you build meaningful relationships with patients?

I see patients who have significant hearing loss, so I cannot stare at a screen with my back to the patient. I have to take my time, face the patient directly, use straightforward language and talk just a little bit slower. These communication strategies adapt well to everyone. Understanding what’s happening is the first step in developing a trusting relationship for patients. We have to be on the same page.

Tell me about a time when things didn’t go as planned and what you learned?

My mother got a hairbrush stuck in my hair right before I was to walk down the aisle at my wedding. It took three bridesmaids holding me down to get it out, and to free me they eventually tore out a good chunk of my hair right by my face. The wedding started 30 minutes late while they struggled, and my maid of honor had to keep the photographer at bay!

I learned that once you get hindsight, most events that seem impossible to recover from at the time are, in fact small potatoes. Just roll with it, and keep moving forward.