Chelsea A. Castillo, DO, MS, FAAP

Dr. Chelsea Castillo considers herself a native of San Antonio (Go Spurs Go!), though she spent most of her childhood in Houston. By the age of six, she had her sights set on becoming a “kids’ doctor.” This dream was only further solidified when her younger sister was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a bone cancer, in 2007. Through the compassion, fierce advocacy, wisdom and team mentality she saw in the medical team taking care of her sister, she gained life-long lessons to help care for future patients as a pediatrician.

She completed her undergraduate studies at Trinity University and went on to receive her master’s degree in medical sciences and medical degree at the UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth, TX where she met her best-friend, and now husband, Dr. Jeffrey Hayes.

After medical school, she returned “home” to San Antonio to complete a pediatric residency through Baylor College of Medicine before joining Heritage Pediatrics in August 2022. Her professional passions include breastfeeding support, preventative medicine, weight management and mission-based medical care. Outside of medicine, she enjoys being outdoors, exercising, exploring new restaurants and home renovation.

On vaccination: Dr. Castillo believes that all children and teenagers should receive routine immunizations on time in accordance with the American Academy of Pediatrics and Center for Disease Control and Prevention published schedule. Vaccines are a vital step to preventing serious illness and saving lives. In order to provide a safe medical home for all of our families- including our most at-risk populations (i.e. newborns and immunocompromised children), all vaccines must be caught up by milestones at 2 years, 6 years and 14 years if they are behind.