ORLANDO —Born in New Orleans, Patricia Adriana Guerrero, MD, moved with her family to Cartagena, Colombia when she was an adolescent. It was at this same period that she became fascinated with fitness.

 

“Since my teenage years, I’ve been passionate about nutrition and the effects of exercise in the prevention of diseases and the prolongation of good health,” said Guerrero, a partner with Florida Heart Group. “My original dream was to work for the World Health Organization in the area of malnutrition. As a teenager, the main cause of malnutrition was the lack of nutrition. It’s now also as much a problem of excessive caloric intake in developed countries, as it is a lack of nutrition in developing countries. I retain a hope that I’ll be able to fulfill that dream at some future time.”

The older of two children, Guerrero’s father, Roberto Guerrero-Figueroa, MD, is a neurologist and neurophysiologist who was a professor at Tulane University before returning to his home country. In Colombia, he became the director of neurosciences and the dean of the University of Cartagena Medical School, and he continues to have an active neurology practice, write books and give lectures.

 

Guerrero’s mother, Edith Izaguirre de Guerrero, DDS, a native of Chile, is a dentist, as well as an award-winning watercolor artist and noted antique embroidery expert in Cartagena .

 

“My parents urged us to give every challenge our best effort,” said Guerrero, whose brother is a pediatric gastroenterologist in West Palm Beach, Fla. “This included our scholastic work, sports, and social interactions with others. They instilled the belief that, as members of society, it was our duty and privilege to help others and to contribute in a positive manner to the world we live in. As the eldest and also the only daughter, my father repeatedly urged me to be a professional; hence through education, I would have the choice to be independent and autonomous. My mother advised me to fulfill my conscience and aspire to inward contentment.”

 

In high school, Guerrero excelled in her studies, graduating first in her class with the highest honors. She set a city record by achieving the maximum score in the National Examination. She also excelled in the creative arts, playing the Spanish guitar as a member of the school Tuna, a Spanish group of string instruments that sing and dance in unison.

 

When she applied to the University of Cartagena Medical School, Guerrero placed No. 13 of 3,000 applicants, and was ranked No. 2 in her graduating class.

 

“In medical school, I found that the discovery of the diagnosis in any particular patient gave me the most satisfaction, hence leading to internal medicine,” she said. “Once in internal medicine, I was fascinated by the electrophysiology laboratory and its attempts to understand the causes of rhythm disorders. I found my passion and have pursued this challenge ever since. Electrophysiology is a unique field that offers the opportunity not only to generate a diagnosis, but to also treat the disease and change people’s lives in a meaningful manner.”

 

Because of her focus on repairing the heart, Guerrero was deeply saddened when her first husband died from an arrythmic disorder.

 

“The subsequent challenge was to accept this experience with dignity and to employ all that I’d learned from it to help others who are suffering from fear of anticipated death or who are grieving the death of a loved one,” she said.

 

Guerrero maintains an avid interest in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and their early detection and treatment. She’s a frequent speaker for the Red Dress Initiative, a national awareness program directed to women and cardiovascular disease. She remains avidly interested in the impact of nutrition and exercise on disease prevention and the prolongation of good health.

 

“There are so many areas I would’ve liked to become more proficient,” said Guerrero, referencing literature, art and biotechnology, adding “… and I’d like to learn to play the harp.”

 

Not surprisingly, Guerrero spends most of her free time on the move, whether exercising, hiking, gardening, cooking, or attending the opera and the ballet. Married to her best friend and partner, Jack Berger, MD, and stepmother to Michael and Megan, Guerrero often travels to visit her brother and his family in South Florida, including her godchild, Roberto Antonio, and her niece, Sofia Cristina. Her parents travel from South America twice a year to visit.

 

“I have a countless extended family in my aunts, uncles and cousins,” said Guerrero, whose maternal grandmother lives in Virginia. “The majority of three generations reunited this summer to celebrate her 93^rd birthday.”