The audiology and speech therapy service pillar in the development of audiology and speech therapy in Mexico

Tllez, being the first hospital service of this specialty in Mexico and Latin America, becoming a pioneer for the development of modern medical disciplines (Fig. 1).This specialty was born in Mexico in 1951, when Dr. Pedro Berruecos Tllez himself founded the Audiology and Phoniatric Center of Mexico.In 1983, the Medical Specialization in Audiology and Phoniatrics program was formally structured, at that time with 3 years.In 1995, the program obtained university recognition and was named "Communication, Audiology and Phoniatrics."Currently the specialty is called "Audiology, Otoneurology and Phoniatrics," covering a wide spectrum of hearing, voice, speech and balance disorders.Since the foundation of the service, care work focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of voice, hearing, language, and balance disorders has been of great importance.In the teaching part, there is participation in the postgraduate university programs with the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico.In addition, the service has organized countless monographic courses, symposia and refresher courses in the area.In 1987, it obtained a great distinction when it was named "Latin American Regional Center for the Prevention of Hearing Problems," recognized by "Hearing International," an non-governmental organizations affiliated with the World Health Organization and made up of the International Society of Audiology and the International Federation of ENT Societies (IFOS).