Biographical Information
Dr. Castro is an Assistant Professor in the UNC Department of Family Medicine. She joined the department in 2018 to support the expansion of the residency’s rural training track to Chatham County, where she continues to provide clinical care and resident teaching. She is strongly interested in expanding access to substance use treatment to historically marginalized populations and works with NC STAR Network on capacity development in rural areas.
Dr. Castro is originally from Quito, Ecuador. She earned her undergraduate degree in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry from Yale University and her medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. She completed her Family Medicine Residency training and subsequently joined the faculty at the University of Kentucky, Department of Family & Community Medicine. Her role there included oversight and direction of global health programs for medical students and residents, as well as directorship of Medical Student Education for Family & Community Medicine. She also served in a clinical and administrative capacity for a bilingual community health center where students and residents participated in team-based care as part of the mission to address social determinants of health for marginalized populations.
Outside of work, she avidly pursues the mastery of Argentine tango. She enjoys leisurely sport climbing and spending time outdoors.
Areas of Interest
Addiction medicine, behavioral health, rural residency training, care of Spanish-speaking populations in the U.S.
Related Links
- Myerholtz L, Roberts C, Ross Dew K, McClester-Brown M, Castro MG. Interprofessional team-based learning to enhance behavioral health care for Latinx patients: Results of a teleconsultation program. Fam Syst Health. 2022 Dec;40(4):519-525. doi: 10.1037/fsh0000741. PMID: 36508623. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36508623/
- Castro MG, Sloane PD. The Role of a Federally Qualified Health Center in Identification and Management of an Occupational COVID-19 Outbreak: Lessons for Future Infection Surveillance and Response. J Ambul Care Manage. 2022 Jan/Mar. Vol 45 – Issue 1 – p 13-21 doi: 10.1097 /JAC.0000000000000397. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34392258/
- Greco C, Gaylord S, Faurot S, Weinberg J, Gardiner P, Roth I, Barnhill J, Thomas H, Dhamne S, Lathren C, Baez J, Lawrence S, Neogi T, Lasser K, Castro MG, White A, Simmons S, Ferrao C, Binda D, Elhadidy N, Eason K, McTigue K, Morone N. The Design and Methods of the OPTIMUM Study: A Multisite Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trial of a Telehealth Group Mindfulness Program for Persons with Chronic Low Back Pain. Contemporary Clinical Trials. 2021. Volume 109, 2021, 106545, ISSN 1551-7144, doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2021.106545 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1551714421002810?via%3Dihub
- Castro MG, Dicks M, Bennett, Hustedde C, Sacks D, Hunter L, Elder W. Teach students, Empower patients, Act collaboratively and Meet health goals (TEAM): An early interprofessional clinical experience in transformed care. Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 5 February 2019:10 Pages 47-53. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6368122/
