NYU Radiology

I care for children and adolescents who are born with or acquire heart disease, as well as pregnant mothers carrying fetuses who are suspected to have heart disease. My focus is diagnosing heart conditions by interpreting images of the heart, either by ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), prenatally and through adolescence. I was drawn to pediatric cardiology early in my training, when I had the opportunity to care for children with heart disease. I quickly grew passionate about caring for these children and learning to manage the complex varieties of heart conditions. I feel a strong responsibility for keeping kids safe and as healthy as they can be. What I like most about my job is working closely with my patients and their families. It is especially rewarding, as a fetal cardiologist, to meet the parents of my patients before they are born, and to build a strong collaboration that continues after birth and through childhood.In addition, I love to teach students and pediatricians-in-training so that they can gain the knowledge and experience they need to care for their patients. I also take part in research that focuses on assessing outcomes in children with different types of heart disease so that we can improve the quality and safety of care that our team provides. I am fortunate to be part of such an exceptional group at Columbia where our team of heart specialists, in partnership with our colleagues in other pediatric specialties, works tirelessly and compassionately to deliver the best care to our patients.

Dr. Kenny Castro is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine and an Assistant Attending Pediatrician at New York-Presbyterian/Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. She is board certified in Pediatrics. Dr. Castro obtained her medical degree (M.D.) from the Central University of Venezuela. After receiving her M.D., she worked as a community doctor in her home country, Venezuela, providing medical care to low-income and minority populations. Seeking further expertise, she immigrated to the United States and pursued her medical training at Lincoln Medical Center, completing a three-year residency in pediatrics. Following that, she accomplished a three-year fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, where she was also inducted as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. During her fellowship training, Dr. Castro actively engaged in various research projects, focusing on clinical research and quality improvement. She contributed to studies exploring the public health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Inflammatory Bowel Disease presentation in pediatric patients in the New York City area and enhancing patient experience during colonoscopy procedures. Dr. Castro is fluent in English and Spanish, and her clinical interests include abdominal pain, constipation, inflammatory bowel disease, gastroesophageal reflux, eosinophilic esophagitis, eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease, celiac disease, poor weight gain, obesity, nausea, and vomiting.