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Dr. Fernando A. Laracuente is our clinical director and leading medical provider at our offices. Dr. Laracuente received a degree from Nova Southeastern University with a specialization in Exceptional Education/Special Services and Nursing Education. He received his Master’s Degree in Nursing as an Advanced Practice Nurse Practice in Family Health and a Master’s of Science in Education in Family Therapy/Marriage Counseling with a Minor in School Counseling. Recent achievements include a post-masters graduate certificate in psychiatric mental health throughout the lifespan.

Dr. Laracuente is a pioneer, as he opened a nurse-operating full functional clinic under Florida's law of autonomous practice. His practice is holistic in that he emphasizes that wellness can only be achieved through balance between our bodies and our minds. His integrated approach can be seen in his ability to manage both primary care and psychiatric conditions.

In our clinic, we treat patients of all ages, from babies to seniors. We provide both primary care and psychiatric services for people of all ages. Dr. Laracuente has attained three distinguishable National Board Certifications through the ANCC and AANP – Family Practice and Psychiatric Mental Health, respectively. He has a license in Florida and New York. 

Dr. Laracuente has been a teacher for more than 20 years. He has taught at major universities, such as Nova Southeastern University, Miami-Dade College, and Universidad del Turabo (part of the Ana G. Mendez University System). Both Miami-Dade County Public Schools and private medical clinics have used him to evaluate the abilities of children with disabilities, as well as the need for services for children and adults. He is considered one of the founders of the Master's in Child Protection at Nova Southeastern University. His research led to the development of a course that is required to get this graduate degree. 

Dr. Laracuente has served in leadership and investigative roles for the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the NYC Administration for Children's Services, where he specialized in neglect, physical, and sexual abuse. He specializes in various forms of trauma as a therapist and provider.

Dr. Laracuente has extensive experience conducting psychiatric assessments required for bariatric weight loss, as well as early intervention. Additionally, he regularly conducts comprehensive developmental evaluations to assess developmental disorders in children (i.e., language delays, autism, ADHD, learning disabilities) and has become instrumental in ordering early services for these children.

At LHA, we feel that all of our patients are members of our family, and we treat you as such. We look forward to helping you achieve your health goals!

Dr. Fernando A. Laracuente

Clinic Director / Owner / Founder

I was born and raised in Mexico City being the youngest of 5 children. I did all my schooling including medical school over there and then I moved to Florida where I passed my medical board exams and got married.

We then moved to Harrisburg and Philadelphia where I did my Internal Medicine training.

When I was done we moved back to Miami to rejoin with the family where I have been practicing Internal Medicine/Primary care for the last 33 years. We now have 3 children and 3 grandchildren and plan to continue practicing.

Dina R. Edrich, MD, is a board-certified specialist in family medicine at Beth and Howard Braver, MD, in Hollywood and Aventura, Florida. She has more than 10 years of experience treating patients with a variety of acute and chronic disorders.

Dr. Edrich earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Miami and her medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean in St Maarten, Netherlands Antilles. Dr. Edrich continued her medical training with a residency at Rutgers University’s Centra State Medical Center Family Medicine Residency Program. She was elected Chief Resident for her final year of training. 

Dr. Edrich is board certified in Family Medicine and maintains hospital affiliations with Aventura Hospital and Memorial Regional Hospital. 

Nelson Calvo, APRN is originally from Havana City, Cuba. Growing up he always had a passion for medicine and in 1990 started medical School and graduated in 1996 as a general practitioner in a well-recognized institution, Hospital Calixto Garcia. Nelson then completed his residency program as a Family Physician, ending as a specialist in Urology in 2002. Shortly after, he was sent by the Cuban government to Venezuela as a primary care provider to serve as a doctor in underserved communities.

Working without resources in a community, living below the poverty standard, isolated from health facilities, without economic resources, and with an extremely low level of education, created a new challenge for Mr. Clavo. He then set a goal to reduce comorbidities and mortality associated with parasitism, and chronic/acute disease.

In 2007 he moved to America in hopes of better possibilities for his family and himself. In 2018, after many years of hard work and dedication, Nelson graduated as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner and returned to the Primary Care setting again. Now with more experience, he utilized the tools he learned in medical school, residency, and life to improve and promote health in my community. As a practitioner, his goal is to continue using his extensive experience when treating patients and learning in this fast-evolving world of medicine.

Nelson Calvo, APRN is proud to be happily married with two sons, one of which has already graduated as a Medical Doctor and the other on his way to becoming a physician as well. In his free time, he likes practicing sports, dancing, and listening to music.

Kirenia Santiuste, DNP-PhD-C, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner serving patients at AssociatesMD in Davie, Florida. She holds an Autonomous Practice Endorsement in Florida due to her vast knowledge and expertise.

Kirenia was born and raised in Cuba, where she decided at the age of 5 to dedicate her life to the art of medicine and her patients (who were dolls at the time). Her parents were the engine that would push her to pursue her dreams. Kirenia attended medical school in her native city, bringing several years of competence, experience, evidence-based practice (EBP), and endless commitment to AssociatesMD and the community.

Kirenia has been practicing as a primary care provider since 2016 and holds a Master of Science in nursing and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she received The Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence due to her stellar performance as well as the Chancellor’s List Award for five consecutive years. 

Kirenia also practices as a women’s nurse practitioner, certified colposcopist, and mentor, which was granted due to more than 4,000 direct clinical hours in an OB/GYN private practice. Kirenia completed her Doctorate in Nursing Practice core components and combined it with a PhD-candidature at Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Kirenia has been extensively recognized by her colleagues, nursing organizations, and patients for her professionalism, charisma, leadership, patient care, excellence, and commitment to clinical practice, including the NCQA for preventing diabetes and data measurement. 

In her free time, Kirenia loves spending time with her beloved family. She enjoys reading, going to the movies, and caring for her orchids, her favorite flowers. She is also active in her son’s extracurricular activities, school PTA, and the community.

Marie C Luc Jean-Louis, IMG. M.P.H. PA-C is board certified in family medicine with over 25 year of experience in treating patients. Marie is originally from Haiti where she received her medical degree from State University of Haiti in 1984. She went on to receive her masters from Tulane University and graduated from Nova University with a degree in Physician Assistant Studies in 2001.

Ms. Jean-Louis has been practicing in South Florida for many years, specializing in HIV counseling, wellness, preventive medicine, immigration, and chronic and acute conditions. She prides herself on her ongoing communication with patients and counseling them to maintain good overall heath. Marie is well known for her long-term relationships with her patients through education, positive reinforcement and promoting a well-rounded and realistic healthcare routine that fits each individual’s lifestyle

James Zelch, MD, is a primary care physician with over 29 years of experience. He serves patients at AssociatesMD out of the Davie, Florida office. 

Dr. Zelch is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and most recently moved from Michigan to South Florida to continue practicing medicine in the Sunshine State. He completed his medical degree at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and his family medicine residency at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. 

After graduating, Dr. Zelch practiced at clinics locally and most recently served as the owner and medical director of his medical clinics in Livonia, Center Line, and Clawson, Michigan. While in Michigan, he was an assistant professor at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Ann Arbor. 

Dr. Zelch prides himself on patient care and provides thorough and detailed exams and procedures to each patient. He specializes in asthma, allergy conditions as well as diabetes, arthritis, and substance abuse. He is interested in helping patients with weight control, healthy lifestyle, and incorporating exercise and healthy eating habits into their lives. 

Dr. Zelch assimilates those same lifestyle ideals by maintaining his health with daily workouts with weights, cardio exercise, and healthy eating habits. He enjoys spending time with each patient to build a relationship for long-term patient care and is well known for his compassion and dedication to his patients.

Margarita Armas believes in developing strong relationships, in order to provide personalize care, tailored to meet each patient’s specific needs. By utilizing an advanced array of testing and holistic thinking together she can help optimize your health. She enjoyed 10 years of emergency and critical care at the bedside for Mount Sinai Medical Center. She has had the privilege to work alongside South Florida’s top physicians. Including top Internist, Cardiologist and Infectious Disease specialist. With over 15 years’ experience both in the emergency room and private practice, treating patients of all ages makes her knowledge widely based. She enjoys getting to know her patients on a personal level in order to build strong relationships. She received her Master’s degree from Keiser University as well as many certifications in Anti-Aging medicine. She has a passion for helping people by increasing her knowledge continuously and educating herself on innovative medical treatments.