Team Bios
Dr. Norberto Benitez
Dr. Norberto Benitez
Originally from Santa Clara, Cuba, Dr. Norberto Benitez came to the United States at the age of 12 with his parents and sister. Dr. Benitez entered private practice in 1987 when he purchased a small pediatric office in Neptune Beach from Dr. Aleyda Piroman. The practice eventually merged with Jacksonville Pediatric Associates and grew to include three offices during the next 18 years.
In 2005, Dr. Benitez left the senior partnership position he held at JPA to open Jacksonville Beach Pediatric Care Center, later changed to 24/7 Pediatric Care Center upon the opening of the second office in 2010. Launching a practice dedicated to round-the-clock care of children fulfilled a long time dream for Dr. Benitez. Adhering to a philosophy of treating all children in the way he would treat his own family, Dr. Benitez has built 24/7 Pediatric Care Center on a firm foundation of providing superior customer servicing round-the-clock care to thousands of patients – and peace of mind to their moms and dads.
Dr. Norberto Benitez is a 1980 graduate of the Universidad Central del Este in the Dominican Republic. He completed a one-year family practice internship at St. Joseph Medical Center in New York and a three-year residency in pediatrics at University Hospital in Jacksonville. He is a member of numerous organizations including the Northeast Florida Pediatric Society, Duval County Medical Society, Florida Medical Society, Arlington Rotary, St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Student Affairs Board at the University of North Florida.
Benitez is also involved in several charitable organizations including the MIMA Foundation where his work has been instrumental in bringing care to children in Bolivia and Guatemala and in providing clean water, building a church and school in Uganda. In addition, he is active in St. Paul’s Catholic School’s support of the St. Anthony’s Children’s Home in Kingston, Jamaica.
Dr. Benitez has five children, two granddaughters and two grandsons and resides in Jacksonville Beach with his wife Anna, son Mac and daughter Ann.
Katrina Cinca, A.R.N.P.
Katrina Cinca, ARNP
Originally from New York, Katrina Cinca moved to Jacksonville in 1978 and graduated from Fletcher High School in 1979. She received an associate degree in Nursing in 1982 and worked as a Registered Nurse while earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Florida in 1992. Katrina returned to UNF in 1998 to earn her master’s degree and become an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner.
Upon graduation in 2001, Katrina joined Dr. Benitez’s practice in Neptune Beach and remained with him when he established his practice in 2005. As an experienced pediatric nurse practitioner, Katrina is a skilled and knowledgeable professional who truly enjoys providing exceptional care to our children.
Katrina is a member of several professional organizations including the Northeast Florida Council of Nurse Practitioners and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. She is also an active member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church and has traveled with their 8th grade class to the St. Anthony’s Children’s Home in Kingston, Jamaica. She also volunteers each summer at Camp Ridgecrest for Boys in Asheville, NC, as one of their camp nurses.
Katrina lives in the San Pablo area of Jacksonville with her husband, Tony, a pharmacist at the Neptune Beach Walgreens, and their three sons, Tony, 17, and twins Adrian and Julian, 14.
Lourdes Pitocchi, MD
Lourdes Pitocchi, MD
Dr. Lourdes Pitocchi was born in Havana, Cuba and came to the United States in 1966 with her parents. Her family moved to Jacksonville in 1969 and have made Jacksonville their home ever since.
After graduating from Episcopal High School in Jacksonville, Dr. Pitocchi attended Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, graduating in 1984. She then completed Florida State University’s Program of Medical Sciences and graduated from medical school at the University of Florida in 1989. Go Gators!
Dr. Pitocchi completed her pediatric residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1992 and entered private practice with the Children’s Medical Group in Jacksonville. In 1993 she joined the Duval County Health Department at its South Jacksonville Family Health Center where she practiced until joining 24/7 Pediatric Care Center in 2005.
Dr. Pitocchi became board certified by The American Board of Pediatrics in 1992 and is a member of numerous professional organizations including the Northeast Florida Pediatric Society, Duval County Medical Society and the Florida Medical Society.
She is also involved in several volunteer activities including serving as a youth counselor and active member of her church, Southside United Methodist. She also participates in the annual career day at Episcopal High School and chaperones Episcopal students who work for one week each summer in an orphanage in the Dominican Republic.
Dr. Pitocchi is married to Dr. Peter Pitocchi, a Jacksonville physician of internal medicine and has three children.