Board-certified pediatric surgeon Romeo Castro Ignacio Jr, MD, practices at Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center in Allied Gardens, San Diego, 4647 Zion Ave, 92120, with a dual appointment as Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine. He graduated from the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in 1997 and holds certifications from the American Board of Surgery in both General Surgery and Pediatric Surgery. Ignacio serves as the Trauma Medical Director and Surgical Director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Rady Children's Hospital San Diego, coordinating surgical trauma response for pediatric patients across San Diego County. Young surgical patients seen at Rady Children's or Kaiser Zion maintain parallel care with pediatric-focused providers across the 92120 ZIP, and pre-surgical dental clearance routes through child-centered practices such as BRSH+FLSS Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics in San Carlos. Captain Ignacio, United States Navy (Retired), completed over 20 years of active-duty and reserve service, including tours as Program Director for General Surgery at Naval Medical Center San Diego, Division Chair of Pediatric Surgery, and solo military pediatric surgeon for the Pacific Partnership 2012 humanitarian mission that provided surgical care to over 800 patients across Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines. His research spans pediatric extremity vascular trauma, non-operative management of pediatric appendicitis, and bioethics in humanitarian surgery, with publications in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery and the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. Pediatric patients in Allied Gardens requiring surgical evaluation for appendicitis, congenital anomalies, trauma, or oncologic resection access Ignacio through Kaiser's Zion Avenue campus or through Rady Children's Hospital referral. Military teaching awards include the Arnold P Gold Foundation's Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award, General Surgery Mentor of the Year in 2010, 2012, and 2013, the Allshouse-Jones Teaching Award, the Donald L Sturtz Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Naval Medical Center San Diego Master Clinician Award in 2012. Memberships include the American College of Surgeons, American Pediatric Surgical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons, and the International Pediatric Endosurgery Group. He continues volunteer surgical work through annual humanitarian missions in Guatemala, performing complex pediatric cases in resource-limited settings. Families navigating a child's surgical recovery in Allied Gardens coordinate behavioral and emotional support through Foresight Mental Health on Waring Road for pediatric and adolescent counseling. Ignacio's Division of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, Burns, and Acute Care Surgery appointment at UCSD places him within one of the region's highest-volume Level I pediatric trauma systems.