Special Pathogens Laboratory Hires Director of Healthcare Services


Michael is a perfect fit for Special Pathogens Laboratory. His experience in education, expertise in water treatment, and foundation in engineering, will advance our goal of providing full-service solutions to hospitals.

Special Pathogens Laboratory, The Legionella Experts (http://www.specialpathogenslab.com) has hired Michael Castro, MPH, as director of Healthcare Services. Castro brings 19 years experience in providing education and risk mitigation strategies for Legionella and waterborne pathogens to healthcare facilities.

Castro comes to Special Pathogens Laboratory from Pall Medical, a manufacturer of point-of-use water filtration for healthcare settings, where he most recently served as western hemisphere product manager of the Healthcare Water portfolio. While at Pall, Castro developed partnerships with healthcare facilities and state and local departments of health to help develop risk minimization strategies for hospital water systems, particularly among the high-risk populations. He also delivered national and international educational programs across the United States to state departments of health, local healthcare organizations and more than 20 chapters of APIC & ASHE.

Prior to joining Pall Medical, Castro held account management and leadership positions at Nalco, an Ecolab Company. During his 13-year tenure, in addition to providing water treatment consultative services, Castro developed new markets, was a field liaison for new product development, was responsible for P& L, and implemented new business processes to promote flexibility, responsiveness, delivery and adaptability, resulting in an average annual sales increase of 23% during his tenure.

“Michael is a perfect fit for Special Pathogens Laboratory,” says President Dr. Janet E. Stout. “His experience in education, expertise in water treatment, and foundation in engineering, will advance our goal of providing full-service solutions to hospitals so they can provide the best possible protection from hospital-acquired Legionnaires’ disease.”

Castro serves as a NVM Manufacturer Representative on the ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188 – Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems. He is a voting member of NSF’s Protocol P376 for evaluation of Mechanical Water Filtration Systems for the Reduction of Bacteria and Fungi for Handwashing and Showering in Health Care Settings, Technical Advisor to the California Department of Public Health Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory Committee, Environmental Cleaning in Healthcare Subcommittee. He was also a member of the Legionella Task Group for The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials’ (IAPMO) to work towards developing new plumbing standards that balance risk of scalding and Legionella.

Castro holds a Master of Public Health degree from Grand Canyon University, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Bucknell University. See LinkedIn profile (http://linkedin.com/in/michael-castro-mph-8a824b7).

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