Leadership
Rigoberto Vargas
Director of Public Health
Rigoberto Vargas joined the Ventura County Health Care Agency in 1998 and has since held various positions in the Public Health department. In 2013, he was appointed as the Director of the department.
Before joining the agency, Vargas worked with a community-based organization (CBO) and a health maintenance organization (HMO), where he played a significant role in developing and implementing community health promotion programs.
As the Director, Vargas is responsible for overseeing numerous wellness and disease prevention programs within the Ventura County Public Health (VCPH) department. Under his leadership, VCPH has received multiple grants from local, state, and federal sources.
Dr. Uldine Castel
Health Officer/Public Health Medical Director
Dr. Uldine Castel grew up in the Santa Ynez Valley. She went to university at Sarah Lawrence College in New York and attended medical school at Temple University in Pennsylvania.
Dr. Castel completed the Family Medicine Residency at Ventura County Medical Center in 2004. She and her husband decided this was where they wanted to raise their two children. Dr. Castel has been a Family Physician in the area since then.
In addition to Family Medicine, she has worked in HIV and TB clinics over the years, gaining expertise in both specialties. Dr. Castel is a foody, and therefore, has become an avid exerciser to balance out her love of good food.
