Faculty

32 1a 2a

61 16

Ricardo Castillo, PhD DVM MSPH

Assistant Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology

7 75

Department: Biostatistics and Epidemiology

4 1 23

1f Graduate Group Affiliations 8

Graduate Group in Epidemiology and Biostatistics

46 Contact information
67

Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics
19 423 Guardian Dr.
38 Blockley Hall, Rm.715
Philadelphia, PA 19104

2c Office: 2157467333
30

Email:
cricardo@upenn.edu

4 3 3 1d

18 Publications
23

a1 6f

26 Search PubMed for articles c

3 2 4 b 1f

13 Education:
21 8 BSc 20 (Veterinary Medicine) c
41 Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, 2006.
21 8 DVM 20 (Veterinary Medicine) c
41 Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, 2007.
21 9 MSPH 21 (International Health) c
48 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2014.
21 8 PhD 19 (Epidemiology) c
48 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2014.
c

3 27

Links
ed Search PubMed for articles
a4 Departement of Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Informatics
7c Public Health Certificate Program
b0 Center for Global Health at University of Pennsylvania
a3 Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics
c

5 3 3 92 Permanent link
2 29

b6 > Perelman School of Medicine > Faculty > Details a

1e 1d

Description of Research Expertise

fd I study the eco-epidemiology of tropical diseases. My current research uses canine rabies as a model system to understand how the social and spatial features of urban areas influence the emergence and persistence of infectious diseases.
8
145 My most recent line of research focuses on urban vaccine-preventable outbreaks. I conduct cluster randomized trials to test optimized mass vaccination strategies. My methodological interests include spatial analysis, optimization of interventions to control infectious disease, and design of community-based studies.
8
1fe I am a scholar of infectious disease epidemiology with a strong background in quantitative methods, zoonotic disease ecology, and the study of complex systems. I am committed to teaching and research in public health, infectious disease, and epidemiological methods. I am well-versed in designing and conducting observational and experimental community-based studies, as well as laboratory-based research. I have strong data management and analysis skills; and experience with a variety of data sources.
e 29

Selected Publications

14f Castillo-Neyra R, *Ortiz-Cam L, *Diaz EW, **Cañari-Casaño JL, Recuenco SE, Paz-Soldan VA.: The return of human rabies: A foretold case in Latin America Through the Lens of One Health. MedRxiv. Jan 2026 Notes: *Student/predoctoral mentee; **Postdoctoral mentee.

1a8 *De la Puente-León M, *Díaz EW, Bellotti BR, Porras G, Borrini-Mayorí K, Chuquista-Alcarraz O, Paz-Soldán VA, Levy MZ, Castillo-Neyra R.: Changes in feral dog populations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Arequipa, Peru. Front Vet Sci. 12: 1666645, Jan 2026 Notes: doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1666645; *Student/predoctoral mentee; **Postdoctoral mentee.

183 Recuenco Cabrera SE, Palacios CA, Castillo-Neyra R.: Neglected zoonoses and the One Health approach: linking academia and implementation at the Rabies in the Americas Conference RITA 2025. An Fac Med. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Facultad de Medicina San Fernando Lima, Perú 86(4): 411-413, Dec 2025.

19a Castillo-Neyra R, *Díaz EW, Raynor Bellotti R, *Morucci K, *De la Puente-León M, *Ortiz-Cam L, Levy MZ.: Cave dogs around major urban areas of Arequipa, Peru, threaten rabies elimination program. Front Vet Sci. 12: 1649737, Nov 2025 Notes: *Student/predoctoral mentee; **Postdoctoral mentee; https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2025.1649737.

1b1 *Morucci K, *Ortiz-Cam L, *Díaz EW, *Guillermo Porras-Cotrina, Bustos J, Verastegui M, Gavidia CM, Castillo-Neyra R.: GPS tracking of free-roaming dogs and human spillover risk of Echinococcus granulosus in highly endemic Peru. Front Vet Sci. 12: 1647590, Nov 2025 Notes: *Student/predoctoral mentee; **Postdoctoral mentee; doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2025.1647590.

1ae **Xie S, Shinnick J, *Diaz EW, Zegarra E, Monroy Y, Recuenco SE, Castillo-Neyra R.: Socioeconomic disparities and dog rabies: a retrospective analysis of high-spatial-resolution surveillance data from a Latin American city. Lancet Reg Health Am. 52: 101285, Oct 2025 Notes: *Student/predoctoral mentee; **Postdoctoral mentee; doi:10.1016/j.lana.2025.101285.

198 Castillo-Neyra R, Gutierrez Zárate W, *Requena-Herrera MP, *Ortiz-Cam L, *Porras G, Manturano Lopez JM, Macedo Milla JF, **Cañari-Casaño JL, Bustos JA.: Hidden burden of surgical cystic echinococcosis in Arequipa, Peru: An unrecognized population at risk. MedRxiv. Aug 2025 Notes: *Student/predoctoral mentee; **Postdoctoral mentee.

132 *Porras G, *Diaz EW, *De la Puente M, Gavidia CM, Castillo-Neyra R.: Estimation of free-roaming dog populations using Google Street View: A Methodological Study. PLoS One. 20(7): e0305154, Aug 2025 Notes: *Student/predoctoral mentee.

1c7 De la Cruz-Saldana T, Bustos JA, *Requena-Herrera MP, Martinez-Merizalde N, *Ortiz-Cam L, Cáceres AL, Guzman C, Gavidia CM, Ugarte-Gil C, Castillo-Neyra R.: A scoping review on control strategies for Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato. IJID One Health. 8: 100078, Jul 2025 Notes: https://onehealth.ijidonline.org/article/S2949-9151(25)00026-5/fulltext; *Student/predoctoral mentee.

183 Castillo-Neyra R, *Ortiz-Cam L, **Cañari-Casaño JL, *Diaz EW, Tamayo LD, *Porras G, Recuenco SE, Paz-Soldan VA.: An implementation science framework to understand low coverage in mass dog rabies vaccination. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 19(7): e0012869, Jul 2025 Notes: *Student/predoctoral mentee; **Postdoctoral mentee.

2c

7 1d

2c back to top
26 Last updated: 04/27/2026
34 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania c

1 49 2 2 1a 32 34