Lori Shea

Owner, Guatemala Medical Travel

Lori Shea is originally from the Connecticut shoreline and Block Island, RI.  She studied at the State Conservatory of Music in Puebla, Mexico, and completed her education in Business Administration at Strayer University in Washington, DC.  She has been providing consulting, accounting, sales and marketing services to the tourism industry in Miami Beach and Key West since 1986.  Lori first arrived in Rio Dulce, Guatemala aboard a sailboat in 2005 and had a home and business there for two years.

In July of 2009 in La Antigua, Lori had eight silver amalgam dental fillings removed and replaced with modern, natural-looking white fillings, saving over $1400.

John Van Zwieten

Business Development, US and Canada

John has worked as a management consultant in various roles since 1979. He has worked as a management trainer and organization development consultant in the electronic media, newspaper, advertising, pharmaceutical, general manufacturing and computer industries. He holds a BA from Antioch College and an MA in psychology from Duquesne University.  John enjoys spending winters on his boat in Guatemala and fishing in nearby Caribbean waters.   

In January of 2011, John required diagnostic testing in Guatemala.  Guatemala Medical Travel was able to refer him to the best quality clinic with the most reliable results. He paid over $2000 less than what his medical care would have cost in California. 

Juan Murillo, B.S.

Marketing Director

Juan is originally from Guatemala City and traveled to the US at the age of 19 the study at the University of Georgia.  There, he earned degrees in both marketing and advertising.  In addition to consulting, Juan has held market research and customer service positions in banking, real estate, advertising, and international courier logistics.  

He has traveled extensively throughout the Americas and Europe and the Middle East.  As a former business owner, both locally and in Mexico, Juan is devoted to promoting the superior medical services and extraordinary tourist destinations of Guatemala.     

Ann Gonzalez BSN,R.N.

Client Services

Ann grew up in a medical family in the Philippines.  She worked in the family’s hospital as a teen-ager, and earned her degree in nursing in 1992.  Ann traveled around the world as a personal flight attendant with the Royal Family of Brunei for four years before settling in Chicago.  Ann now lives in Antigua with her husband and two sons.  Her varied background in both world travel and medical care is a great asset to the Guatemala Medical Travel team.

Penny J. Smith

United States Sales

Penny was originally certified as a travel agent in 1979, the result of an early interest in geography, history and world travel that continues today.  She has travelled extensively throughout Mexico and Central America and has had successful, low-cost medical procedures done in both Nicaragua and Costa Rica.  She has been a top-notch sales professional in hospitality and tourism in Key West, Florida for more than 20 years. 

In August of 2009, in Antigua Guatemala, Penny had a cataract removed from one eye and the lens was replaced with a state-of-the-art multi-focal lens.  She will enjoy 20/20 vision for the rest of her life and paid $11,000 less than the price quoted by a Miami ophthalmologist.

Tara Shea

Accounting & Client Services

Tara Shea grew up in Sarasota, Florida and graduated from Emory University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.  After university, she worked for a large accounting firm in Atlanta, Georgia where she also completed the National Certified Public Accounting Exam.   She began traveling annually to Central America at the age of 14 and finally made the decision to move permanently to Guatemala in January 2011.

In March 2011, Tara had an emergency medical condition in which her throat began to close up and she was unable to speak.  Through Guatemala Medical Travel, Tara was able to receive immediate medical attention in a private hospital with top of the line doctors.  GMT was also able to contact her family in the United States and make sure every detail was accounted for during her emergency.  Within the next few days, she had incredible care, a full recovery, and a bill of less than $100.