Attending Anesthesiologist
Director, Pain Management Service
NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem

Easing Pain, Building Trust

Lauded as an outstanding clinician who treats patients with respect and is widely admired by colleagues, Dr. Claricio DeCastro is Director of the Pain Management Service at Harlem. He considers creation of the Service, which treats acute, chronic and cancer pain conditions, one of his proudest accomplishments. The “highest honor” he has received, he says, is his patients’ trust.

Dr. DeCastro is in the pain clinic five days a week, responds to in-house consults, performs pain procedures in the operating room, and works with medical and psychiatry residents. He was instrumental in developing Harlem’s hospital-wide Policy and Procedure for Pain Management.

His own childhood health issues including asthma, chronic bronchitis and surgeries, combined with the example of his older sister – a public-hospital physician in the Dominican Republic who came home after long hours to treat local patients for free – solidified Dr. DeCastro’s desire to pursue medicine. He earned his medical degree at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, then came to Harlem Hospital for two years as a surgical resident.

He completed a residency in anesthesiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and was a fellow in Pain Management at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. DeCastro’s extensive CV includes training in clinical research at Harvard University, certification in medical acupuncture, and a long list of journal publications.

“We are able to provide the highest quality of care for the most vulnerable and underserved members of our society without regard for their ability to pay,” Dr. DeCastro says. “Every day spent in patient care at Harlem Hospital is memorable. From relieving the pain of patients in labor to providing comfort to the terminally ill, is a daily rewarding and humbling experience.”

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