Meet Dr. Castellanos

Luis R. Castellanos MD, MPH is a Health Sciences Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Vice Chair for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Department of Medicine at University of California, San Diego.  Dr. Castellanos strongly believes that it is critically important to improve diversity and promote inclusion in the medical field so that we can better serve the medical needs of members in our communities.

Dr. Castellanos graduated from UC Davis summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School.  He completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at UC San Diego and after finishing his medical training, Dr. Castellanos moved back to Boston where he was a Fellow in Minority Health Policy at Harvard University/Commonwealth Fund Program.  During this time, he attended the Harvard School of Public Health and obtained a Masters in Public Health with an emphasis in Health Policy and Management. Afterwards, Dr. Castellanos completed a fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at UC Davis where he was selected as the Chief Research Fellow for his involvement in research that addressed health disparities in underserved groups.   

Dr. Castellanos’ research focuses on health outcomes and inequities involving racial and ethnic minority groups. He has been involved in several independent research projects in cardiovascular medicine and has co-authored articles for the American Journal of Cardiology, the American College of Cardiology, and the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. Most recently, Dr. Castellanos was awarded a research grant from the Clinical and Translation Research Institute in an effort to study the effectiveness of a home-based cardiac rehabilitation program in patients with coronary heart disease who live in rural communities.  Dr. Castellanos has been invited to present his research at national conferences such as the American Heart Association and the National Hispanic Medical Association annual meetings where he has been a strong advocate for improving cardiovascular heath of vulnerable populations.

Dr. Castellanos has been recognized by the UCSD Clinical Advancement and Recognition of Excellence in Service and received the National Center for Leadership in Academic Medicine Award. Most recently, Dr. Castellanos was selected as a UCSD LEAD (Leaders for Equity, Advancement and Diversity) Fellow and on a regular basis, Dr. Castellanos travels to the Imperial Valley to provide cardiac care to underserved populations from El Centro, Brawley and neighboring rural communities.