EDUCATION
Fordham University
PhD, 2003
Applied Developmental Psychology
Fordham University
MA, 1999
Developmental Psychology
Lehman College, CUNY
BA, 1997
Psychology
BRIEF BIO / PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS
Jenean A. Castillo, Ph.D. is the Director of the federally funded Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) interdisciplinary training program at the Westchester Institute for Human Development (WIHD). The LEND program at WIHD is one of 60 university-affiliated interdisciplinary leadership training programs nationally. The program helps graduates, post-graduates, family members, and self-advocates develop leadership knowledge and skills to work with and on behalf of children with disabilities and other special health care needs and their families. Dr. Castillo also serves as WIHD’s Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator, actively supporting and enhancing WIHD’s efforts to promote cultural and linguistic competency (CLC) to ensure equitable outcomes for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) and other vulnerable populations. Her CLCI work includes curriculum development, workforce enhancement, and organizational assessment, policy development and implementation.
Dr. Castillo is also an Assistant Professor of Practice at the Center for Disability and Health in the School of Health Sciences and Practice at New York Medical College. She is the course director of the 15-credit Graduate Certificate in Children with Special Health Care Needs, which is offered as a component of the LEND Training Program. Previously, Dr. Castillo was the Assistant Director of Child Welfare Services at WIHD. She was a former LEND fellow, and then a faculty member and course director in the LEND program. Dr. Castillo is a New York State Licensed Psychologist.
DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH INTERESTS/ACTIVITIES
Dr. Castillo’s research activities focus on promoting the health and well-being of individuals with I/DD or other healthcare needs and vulnerable populations. Her research activities include ongoing program evaluation of the LEND Program, which focuses on expanding the interdisciplinary workforce supporting individuals with disabilities and their families. Other research activities have focused on identifying organizational strengths and areas for growth in order to advance cultural and linguistic competence; examining program outcomes, including preventing foster care re-entry and promoting positive parenting skills, and cost effectiveness, looking at program successes against program costs. Her research also focuses on the successful outcomes for children who have experienced foster care include exploring the psychological profiles of children in foster care in order to better identify and meet their needs. Additional research designed to promote healthy functioning of children in foster care have focused on the prevalence of enuresis in children in a foster care population, examining associated risk factors and identifying tips and strategies to better support foster children and their caregivers.
RESEARCH INTERESTS/ACTIVITIES CATEGORIES
CLINICAL RESEARCH
- Child Abuse & Neglect
SOCIAL/BEHAVIORAL AND EDUCATION
- Organizational Cultural and Linguistic Competence
- Interdisciplinary Training in I/DD
- Child Welfare Programs and Policies
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
Castillo, J., Turygin, N., & Anderson, A. (2021). Cultural Diversity in Disability and Mental Health Services. Presentation provided to the Mental Helath and Developmental Disabilities National Training Center.
Castillo, J. (2021). Understanding Bias and Its Impact. Guest Lecture provided to graduate students in the School of Professional & Applied Psychology at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Castillo, J., Bernhardt, A., Faivre, K., Narendran, A., O’Shea, K., & Wu-Chu, W. (2021). COVID-19 Related Stressors and Coping Behaviors of Providers in the Disability Field. Poster presented at the 2021 Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) National Conference.
Castillo, J., Hughes, F., Iannitti, A., Johney, N., & Thanati, L. (2020). Assessing Cultural and Linguistic Competency of a Disability Organization. Poster presented at the 2020 Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) National Conference.
Castillo, J., Faison, J., Hampton-Risucci, J., McGinnis, M., & Trapasso, K. (2017). Posttraumatic symptomatology profiles of physically neglected children. Poster accepted for presentation at the 2017 annual conference of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities.
Castillo, J., Cunningham, D., Elwell, A., Eshel, R., & Freyer, M. (2016). Evaluating the efficacy of a post-foster car eprogram. Poster accepted for presentation at the 2016 annual conference of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities.
Endrikat, E., Viezel, K.D., & Castillo, J. (2016). Posttraumatic symptomatology profiles of physically neglected children. Poster accepted for presentation at the 2016 annual convention of the National Association of School Psychologists.
Viezel, K. D., Davis, A. S., Miller. G. & Castillo, J. (2014). Evaluating the Relationship between Visual-Motor Integration and Intelligence in Maltreated Children. Poster presented at the 2014 conference of American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Castillo, J., & Pham, S. (2022). Enuresis and psychological concerns in a foster care population. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001192
Davis, A.S., Holmes Finch, W., Viezel, K. D., Mion, A. M., Hoover, K.L., Endrikat, E.G., & Castillo, J. (In Submission). Visual Motor Integration and Intelligence in Children with a History of Physical Neglect.
Viezel, K.D., Freer, B., Castillo, J. A. Lowell, A. (2015). Cognitive abilities of maltreated children. Psychology in the Schools, 52(1), 92-106.
Viezel, K. D., Lowell, A., Davis, A. S., & Castillo, J. (2014). Differential Profiles of Adaptive Behavior of Maltreated Children. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 6 (5), 574-579.