1992-1994    Master of Health Science (Biometry)
                     Duke University, Durham, NC

1983-1987    Doctor of Medicine, Honors in Immunology
                      University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

1979-1983    Bachelor of Science (Microbiology), High Honors
                      University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

• Complementary and alternative medicine
• Patient-provider communication
• Role of diagnostic testing in medical management
  
• Chronic disease management
  

Dr. Rao is an associate professor in the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy.   She is a physician and health services researcher with expertise in performing longitudinal cohort studies, systematic reviews, and qualitative research.  For the past several years, her research has focused on the patient’s perspective of health care.  In particular, she is interested in studying the impact of patient-provider communication on outcomes of care and interventions to improve the communication between patients and health care providers.