Medical Research Shaped by Community Advocacy
How one UC Davis Student Connects Science to Patient Care
UC Davis fourth-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major Rogelio Castillo did not expect undergraduate research to open a path for him to create change in his community. His family’s past experiences with rushed and impersonal medical care led him to turn to science to ask the questions that improve both health outcomes and quality of patient-provider relationships.
Castillo currently investigates whether commonly prescribed blood pressure medications, such as Losartan, increase the risk of musculoskeletal injuries. Hypertension — also known as high blood pressure — affects Latinx communities at higher rates, like in Castillo’s farmworker hometown of Lindsay, California. Physically demanding labor in these communities already place significant strain on muscles and joints. When these injuries worsen, they threaten long-term health and livelihoods.
“I wanted to help people from communities like mine who deal with debilitating injuries from constant repetitive labor, like picking grapes or oranges,” Castillo said. “If my research helps people understand more about the medications they rely on, then it provides them with the information they need to advocate for their own health.”