Vassar Vet Scholar Excels at Yale Hackathon

Born in Costa Rica, Isabel Castillo is a third-year math and physics dual major at Vassar College who hopes to fuse her passion for medicine and engineering into a career in the biomedical field.

Last year, Isabel competed in the 2017 Yale Healthcare Hackathon as part of a team. The annual event brings together students and professionals in hopes of finding solutions to challenges in the healthcare system.

After defending their idea against 35 other groups, Isabel’s team’s project, Rx4All, was awarded one of the hackathon’s top prizes. Rx4All focused on recycling and rerouting viable medicine to free clinics and other patients in need.

Isabel became aware of pharmaceutical waste as a medical assistant with Mount Sinai North Shore Medical Group. Her interest deepened after witnessing the discarded medications of fellow service members in the Army.

"Medicine goes unused, and at the same time there are tons of children and elderly patients who can’t afford it," Isabel says.

She is already considering ways to turn it into a functioning nonprofit. With funding from a Rudnick Entrepreneur Fellowship, Isabel is working with Dr. John Long Jr., a biology professor at Vassar, to develop a wearable safety device to protect women and children against sexual assault. She is seeking a patent for the device, which can potentially generate funds needed to launch Rx4All.

"I’m grateful for the valuable network of mentors that I gained from the experience," she says. "I see Rx4All working to build a bridge for people, helping them gain access to the resources they need."