At a recent Salem Rotary Club meeting, Dr. Joan McCormack delivered a powerful presentation on the importance of hearing health and her humanitarian work around the world. “Hearing keeps us connected to the people we love,” she shared, emphasizing how vital early detection is—especially during the critical period for speech and language development, which occurs from birth to age three.
Joan shared a moving video of a child hearing for the first time through a newly fitted hearing aid. The emotional reaction of both the child and her mother brought home the life-changing power of access to hearing care. In the U.S., newborn hearing screening is standard practice—but that’s not the case worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, 466 million people globally lack access to hearing health care, including 34 million children.
Through her nonprofit, the North Shore Hearing Foundation, Joan works to close this gap by providing hearing aids and care to those who cannot afford it. Her efforts span local and global communities, with missions in countries including Jordan, Mexico, Guatemala, and Tanzania.
In Tanzania, where audiology is still an emerging field, the need is particularly urgent. With only a handful of trained professionals in the entire country, many children with hearing impairments are not diagnosed early—if at all. Because education in Tanzania is tuition-based, undiagnosed hearing loss can mean a lifetime without schooling.
Joan volunteers with Hearing the Call, the nonprofit arm of the Entheos Audiology Cooperative. On a recent trip to Tanzania, she and her team provided free hearing screenings and donated technical equipment. The team is also sponsoring John Lukonge, a local advocate and future audiologist, in his pursuit of professional licensure.
Looking ahead, Joan and her partners are working to equip Bugando Medical Center in Tanzania with the tools and training needed to detect hearing loss early. The long-term vision is ambitious but essential: to establish audiology as a recognized medical profession in Tanzania, create national training programs, and promote best practices in early detection.
Dr. Joan McCormack is a dedicated humanitarian and audiologist whose work has expanded access to hearing health care both locally and globally. A member of the Marblehead Harbor Rotary Club and past President of the Swampscott Rotary, Joan helped secure a Rotary International Grant in 2021 to launch a hearing program in rural Guatemala. She is the founder and President Emerita of the North Shore Hearing Foundation, a nonprofit that provides hearing aids to individuals without insurance or financial resources, and has extended its reach to international communities. Joan is also a founding board member and Treasurer of Seaglass Village and a past board member of the Entheos Audiology Cooperative. After 15 years as owner of Atlantic Hearing Care, she sold the business to her employees and retired in 2023. Her passion for service continues through her work with Hearing the Call, where she has volunteered in countries including Guatemala, Mexico, Jordan, Palestine, and Tanzania, where she now serves as Development Lead.
1. Ryan Guilmartin - President
2. Jason Lang – President Elect
3. Hannah Beth Hembree – Vice President
4. Carolyn Shapiro - Immediate Past President
5. Bill Henning - Treasurer
6. Secretary – Jen Close
7. Robyn Burns
8. Tim Clarke
9. Leslie Levesque
10. Jane Stirgwolt
11. Dakota Russell
12. Matt Ingram
13. Marie Cardillo
14. Jason Consalvo
15. Tyler Hains
16. Claire Kallelis
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