Genevieve Castaneda, PA

“A patient’s lifestyle has to be taken into account when creating a health care plan that will be successful.” Genevieve Castaneda’s desire to work in the field of health care dates back to when she was a little girl. At first she wanted to be a doctor, but in college she learned about the physician assistant track. “I chose to become a PA mainly because I thought this is a career that better fits my personality,” says Genevieve. Initially, her medical specialty was endocrinology, which has given her a solid base of knowledge for family medicine. “I recognized that I wanted my specialty to be broader so that I would be able to treat a variety of people with different health conditions. Family medicine offers variety and is similar to emergency medicine, without the chaos.” Within the family medicine specialty, Genevieve is able to incorporate integrative medicine. “Today, more and more of my patients are interested in good and reliable natural treatments,” she says. “This is an area that is of particular interest to my older Asian patients who prefer home remedies, and it gives me the opportunity to educate them and combine traditional Western medicine with an alternative natural/holistic approach that includes herbal medicines, massage, biofeedback, yoga and stress-reduction techniques – all in the effort to treat the whole person.” She joined Changebridge in September 2007 as a physician assistant and, under the guidance of a medical doctor, provides a variety of services to patients, including annual physicals, wellness checkups, diagnoses, medication management, blood pressure screenings, inoculations, and vaccinations. With her background in endocrinology, Genevieve manages the treatment of patients with diabetes and other hormonally based illnesses and offers counseling on the issues of diabetic management and complications, insulin treatments, and proper diet. She enjoys devoting her downtime to family activities, including going to the movies and the theater, discovering different cuisines and ethnic restaurants, and healthy cooking.