Dr. Rao attended the University of Southern California as an undergraduate before returning to his native India for medical school. After receiving his medical degree, Dr. Rao was welcomed back to USC and completed an internship, a residency and two fellowships at the LAC+USC Medical Center. An expert in Cystic Fibrosis, Dr. Rao has taught several courses to medical students on understanding the disease and is the Associate Director of the Keck School of Medicine's Adult Cystic Fibrosis Program. Dr. Rao's research activities include lung transplantation and Cystic Fibrosis: Testosterone, Rate of PFT Decline. He has also been a distinguished lecturer on Sarcoidosis and created a DVD produced by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation titled Looking Ahead: Transition for Pediatric to Adult Cystic Fibrosis Patient Care.