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Robert Castro, MD

  • Primary Specialty: Neonatology
  • Languages Spoken: English, Spanish

About the provider

Robert Castro, MD, obtained his medical degree from UC San Francisco and completed both a pediatric residency and neonatal fellowship at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. He joined the faculty at Stanford University School of Medicine in 2009, leaving a tenured faculty position at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Dr. Castro has received numerous teaching and clinical accolades, notably including the 2014 Society of Pediatric Research Founder’s Award and the 2020 Wirtschafter Award for Neonatal Quality Improvement.

He is a member of the American Board of Pediatrics – Neonatal Perinatal Medicine Subcommittee and served as its chair from 2022-2023. He has participated in numerous regional programs including guest lectureship for the Stanford Summer Community College Premedical Program, CSU Monterey Bay American Medical Student Association and Summer Health Institute of Salinas Valley Health.

Dr. Castro currently serves as the Medical Director of the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital-Joint Venture Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Salinas Valley Health Medical Center, where he leads with care and compassion.

    Education
    • Fellowship
    • Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Torrance, CA
      1989
    • Residency
    • Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Torrance, CA
      1986
    • Medical Education
    • University of California San Francisco Medical School San Francisco, CA
      1983

    Recent Teaching Presentations

    • 2023 Minimally Invasive Surfactant Administration: LISA and SALSA. Webinar – Salinas Valley Health Clinical Townhall Seminar, August 23
    • 2023 Stanford Summer Community College Premedical Program Lecture – Disparities in Perinatal/Neonatal Health in the United States, June 28
    • 2023 Revised Clinical Guidelines for Hyperbilirubinemia – Stanford Children’s Health –Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Hospital Outreach Program Newsletter – Spring 2023
    • 2023 Congenital Lung Masses – Newborn management – Salinas Valley Memorial Perinatal M&M, March 15
    • 2023 Substance Use During Pregnancy and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome – El Camino Health, Mountain View, CA, January 9
    • 2022 Salinas Valley Health Respiratory Viral Surge Update – Webex and LIVE: November 22
    • 2022 Stanford Summer Community College Premedical Program Lecture – Disparities in Perinatal/Neonatal Health in the United States, June 21
    • 2022 Establishing the Eat Sleep and Console Management for NAS/NOWS – Statewide Webinar Discussion with CPQCC MatEx – July 15

    Publications

    Click on title below for details:

    • Consequence of Fetal Substance Exposure

      Castro R, Shaw G and Cohen RS. Consequences of Fetal Substance Exposure. Chapter 10. In Fetal and Neonatal Brain Injury. 6th Edition. Cambridge University Press. Edited by Stevenson DK, Benitz WE, Sunshine P, Hintz SR, and Bonifacio SL, 2024 (in preparation)

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    • 2023 Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) Toolkit

      Toney-Noland C, Schaffer K, Castro R, Chyi L, Huang A, Wong J. 2023 Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) Toolkit. Stanford Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative

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    • Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and Mother's Own Milk at Discharge

      Nguyen TT, Toney-Noland C, Wong J, Chyi L, Castro R, Huang A, Aron-Johnson P, Lee HC, Quinn MK. Neonatal abstinence syndrome and mother's own milk at discharge. J Perinatol. 2022 Jun 20. doi: 10.1038/s41372-022-01430-5. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35725804.

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    • Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Management in California Birth Hospitals: Results of a Statewide Survey

      Clemans-Cope L, Holla N, Lee HC, Cong AS, Castro R, Chyi L, Huang A, Taylor KJ, Kenney GM. Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Management in California Birth Hospitals: Results of a Statewide Survey. Journal of Perinatology 40, 1-10, 2020

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    • Identify Substance Exposed Newborns; Implement Selective Newborn Biological Toxicology Testing. The Mother & Baby Substance Exposure Initiative Tookit

      Golembeski D, Kim D, DuPlessis H, Wong J, Castro R, Kalra V. Identify substance exposed newborns; Implement selective newborn biological toxicology testing. The Mother & Baby Substance Exposure Initiative Toolkit. Published online 3/26/2020 at https://nastoolkit.org/ Sponsored by the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative, California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative and Health Maintenance Associates Institute on Addiction. Author, Editor and Reviewer Lists: https://nastoolkit.org/about

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    • Role of Oral Mucosal Fluid and Electrolyte Absorption and Secretion in Dry Mouth

      Zhang GH, Castro R. Role of Oral Mucosal Fluid and Electrolyte Absorption and Secretion in Dry Mouth. Chin J Dent Res. 2015 Sep;18(3):135-54. PMID: 26485506.

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