Ricardo Castillo, PhD DVM MSPH

faculty photo
Assistant Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology
Instructor, Perelman School of Medicine
Department: Biostatistics and Epidemiology

Contact information
423 Guardian Dr. #715
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: 2157467333
Education:
BSc (Veterinary Medicine)
Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, 2006.
DVM (Veterinary Medicine)
Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, 2007.
MSPH (International Health)
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2014.
PhD (Epidemiology)
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2014.
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Description of Research Expertise

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.

My most recent line of research focuses on urban canine rabies. I conduct community-based surveys paired with GPS tracking of free-roaming dogs to understand the drivers of canine rabies outbreaks. My methodological interests include spatial analysis, optimization of interventions to control infectious disease, and design of community-based studies.

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; experience with a variety of data sources.

Selected Publications

Raynor B, Díaz EW, Shinnick J, Zegarra E, Monroy Y, Mena C, De la Puente-León M, Levy MZ, Castillo-Neyra R.: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rabies reemergence in Latin America: The case of Arequipa, Peru. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 15: e0009414, May 2021.

Larson AJ, Paz-Soldán VA, Arevalo-Nieto C, Brown J, Condori-Pino C, Levy MZ, Castillo-Neyra R.: Misuse, perceived risk, and safety issues of household insecticides: Qualitative findings from focus groups in Arequipa, Peru. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 15: e0009251, May 2021.

Ascuña-Durand K, Salazar-Sánchez RS, Castillo-Neyra R, Ballón-Echegaray J.: Relative Frequency of Blastocystis Subtypes 1, 2, and 3 in Urban and Periurban Human Populations of Arequipa, Peru. Trop Med Infect Dis 5: 178, Nov 2020.

Salazar-Sánchez RS, Ascuña-Durand K, Ballón-Echegaray J, Vásquez-Huerta V, Martínez-Barrios E, Castillo-Neyra R.: Socio-Demographic Determinants Associated with Blastocystis Infection in Arequipa, Peru. Am J Trop Med Hyg 104: 700-7, Nov 2020.

Lidani KCF, Sandri TL, Castillo-Neyra R, Andrade FA, Guimarães CM, Marques EN, Beltrame MH, Gilman RH, Messias-Reason I.: Clinical and epidemiological aspects of chronic Chagas disease from Southern Brazil. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop 53: e20200225, Oct 2020.

Castillo-Neyra, Ricardo; Buttenheim, Alison M; Brown, Joanna; Ferrara, James F; Arevalo-Nieto, Claudia; Borrini-Mayori, Katty; Levy, Michael Z; Becerra, Victor; Paz-Soldan, Valerie A.: Behavioral and structural barriers to accessing human post-exposure prophylaxis and other preventive practices in Arequipa, Peru, during a canine rabies epidemic. PLoS neglected tropical diseases Jul 2020.

De la Puente-León M, Levy MZ, Toledo AM, Recuenco S, Shinnick J, Castillo-Neyra R: Spatial Inequality Hides the Burden of Dog Bites and the Risk of Dog-Mediated Human Rabies. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Jul 2020.

Tustin AW, Castillo-Neyra R, Tamayo LD, Salazar R, Borini-Mayorí K, Michael Z. Levy: Elucidating the mechanism of Trypanosoma cruzi acquisition by triatomine insects: evidence from a large field survey of Triatoma infestans. Trop Med Infect Dis Jun 2020.

Brinkley Raynor, Micaela De la Puente, Andrew Johnson, Elvis Díaz-Espinoza, Michael Z. Levy, Ricardo Castillo-Neyra: Movement patterns of urban free-roaming dogs: implications for rabies control in Arequipa, Peru. Prev Vet Med May 2020.

Berry, Alexander S F; Salazar-Sanchez, Renzo; Castillo-Neyra, Ricardo; Borrini-Mayori, Katty; Arevalo-Nieto, Claudia; Chipana-Ramos, Claudia; Vargas-Maquera, Melina; Ancca-Juarez, Jenny; Naquira-Velarde, Cesar; Levy, Michael Z; Brisson, Dustin.: Dispersal patterns of Trypanosoma cruzi in Arequipa, Peru. PLoS neglected tropical diseases Mar 2020.

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Last updated: 12/19/2022
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