January 2002
Accomplished New York Area Pulmonologist Joins Smith Clinic 

Smith Clinic is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Benjamin A. Laracuente to our Pulmonology Department, and the Clinic medical staff.  Board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Dr. Laracuente specializes in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine.

Dr. Laracuente is not a stranger to Ohio.  He attended Catholic Central High School in Steubenville, Ohio, prior to moving to Puerto Rico in pursuit of his bachelor’s degree.  He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras Campus, where he majored in Chemistry and graduated Magna Cum Laude.

He later attended medical school, earning his Doctor of Medicine and Surgery from the Universidad Central Del Caribe in Cayey, Puerto Rico.

Upon completing his doctorate, Dr. Laracuente served residencies in General Surgery and Internal Medicine at The New York Hospital Medical Center, Queens, New York.  While serving his residency Dr. Laracuente was awarded Best Resident Teaching Award and appointed Chief Resident. 

Dr. Laracuente was later awarded three separate Clinical Fellowships, the first in Critical Care Medicine at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.  A second Clinical Fellowship in Pulmonary Medicine followed at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Medical Center, Bronx, New York, and a third Clinical Fellowship in Sleep Medicine from Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark, New Jersey.

Most recently, Dr. Laracuente served as Assistant Director of Intensive Care at Trinitas Hospital in Elizabeth, New Jersey.