Castellon-Lopez Lab
The Castellon-Lopez Lab at the Cancer Research Center for Health Equity aims to address health disparities by promoting healthy lifestyle change, developing preventive interventions and culturally relevant education, and engaging in community-partnered work. Our research seeks to empower historically marginalized and underserved communities to make informed decisions about their health. The lab is at the forefront of Latino health research, focusing on building community partnerships to promote health equity and improve health outcomes in communities that have lacked resources through innovative, community-informed approaches.
Our work focuses on the prevention of obesity-related cancers and associated cardiometabolic risk factors. We evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of novel digital and behavioral interventions designed to improve chronic disease outcomes among populations disproportionately affected by noncommunicable conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cancer.
Personal Statement
I am a family physician, health services researcher and board-certified obesity medicine specialist. I am dedicated to both patient care and education by leading a lab focused on community-informed interventions to promote health equity. My research interests include health equity research, developing and implementing lifestyle interventions, and collaborative models of research. Through clinical expertise and community-partnered research, I work toward conducting inclusive research and creating interventions that serve the needs of diverse communities to create a more equitable healthcare system for all and to reduce disparities in obesity-related diseases and cancer risk.
Yelba Castellon-Lopez
Breakthrough Research
Discover our ongoing health equity and Latino health research projects in collaboration with community partners. Our studies focus on developing and evaluating innovative interventions to prevent Type 2 diabetes, obesity and obesity-related cancers, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), as well as promoting COVID-19 vaccination and health equity among historically underserviced groups.
Laboratory Team
Learn more about the scientists, faculty members, investigators and other healthcare professionals of the Castellon-Lopez Lab, whose dedicated efforts lead to groundbreaking discoveries.
Job Opportunities
We are actively recruiting students and postdocs to be our colleagues and expand lab knowledge and expertise to make important breakthroughs.
Collaborations
The Castellon-Lopez Lab collaborates with Cedars-Sinai investigators and partners with local federally qualified clinics and community-based organizations to enhance our research initiatives.
- Division of Internal Medicine and Health Services Research at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
- COMMUNITY Center: CONNECTOME Core Home
- Center for Advancing Solutions in Cardiometabolic Health
- UCLA CTSI and CERP Community Engagement
- Health Excellence Action Network (HEAN)
- National Center for Engagement in Diabetes Research
- Northeast Valley Health Corporation (NEVHC)
- AltaMed Health Services Corporation
Contact the Castellon-Lopez Lab
6500 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1500
Los Angeles, CA 90048