Dr. Rodrigo Guerrero, regional advisor on health and violence for the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), knows from experience that one of the unique challenges posed by urban development is violence. Without a sense of security no citizen feels like he or she is part of a thriving, healthy community.

Dr. Guerrero confronted this challenge first hand when he was elected Mayor of Cali, Colombia, in 1992. At the time, the city was in the midst of a wave of violence in a country with one of the largest rates of murder in the world. Dr. Guerrero cited social disintegration as a chief reason for the large number of killings, which only served to increase the general sense of insecurity and allowed for even more violence. Dr. Guerrero responded by putting into place "public safety councils," which encouraged dialogue between local authorities and neighborhood leaders and "houses of peace," which responded to complaints from citizens. In addition, he restricted the sale of alcohol and guns. As a result of these and other actions, the homicide rate in Cali dropped by 10 percent.

Dr. Guerrero has an M.D. from the Universidad del Valle in Cali and both his master’s of science in hygiene and Dr.P.H. from Harvard University. He has been a faculty member at Universidad del Valle since 1968, serving as dean of the Division of Health Sciences from 1972-75 and president from 1982-84. Dr. Guerrero has also worked with the Caravajal Foundation, an organization that sponsors innovative self-help programs to encourage urban redevelopment.

Award Presenter

Dr. Neutra was a fellow faculty member with Dr. Guerrero at the Universidad del Valle from 1971-73, where their shared interests ranged from epidemiology to Colombian guitar music. Dr. Neutra is currently chief of the Division of Environmental and Occupational Disease Control for the California Department of Health Services.