Professor
University of Minnesota
Dr. Raghavendra (“Raghu”) Rao is a Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Division of Neonatology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. He is a graduate of Kasturba Medical College in Mangalore, India where he also completed his postgraduation (equivalent to residency) in Pediatrics. He completed his DM in Neonatology (equivalent to fellowship) at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh before moving to the United States in 1994 for pursuing a fellowship in Neonatal Perinatal Medicine at University of Minnesota. He joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Instructor in 1998, rose through the ranks and is currently a tenured Professor and Director of the Division of Neonatology. He also holds faculty appointments in the Graduate Program in Neuroscience and the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, both at University of Minnesota. Dr. Rao is a member of the Society for Pediatric Research, Perinatal Research Society, International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, American Academy of Pediatrics, and is a member and past Council Member and President of the Midwest Society for Pediatric Research. Dr. Rao’s research interest is perinatal brain metabolism and injury, their detection using biomarkers and treatment using novel neuroprotection strategies. Early life iron deficiency, perinatal dysglycemia, hypoxia and ischemia and intraventricular hemorrhage are some of the areas Dr. Rao investigates in his research. He also collaborates with clinical researchers in the United States and India. He has served as a standing member of the NIH Pregnancy and Neonatology Study Section and several NIH Special Emphasis Panels and international funding agencies. Dr. Rao has had continuous funding from the NIH and other extramural agencies since 1998 and has published over 120 peer-reviewed papers.
