Rajni Rao, MD

Volunteer Clinical Professor

CLINICAL INTERESTS: Rajni Rao is a general non-invasive cardiologist with special interests in echocardiography, heart failure, valvular heart disease, cardio-oncology, plant based nutrition and women's health. She has led efforts in the division to enhance physician efficiency and improve patient education and the patient experience.

ACADEMIC INTERESTS: Dr. Rao has been an active leader in medical education, and has served as the course co-director for the cardiovascular curriculum for first-year medical students and the site leader of the innovative UCSF SOM Action Research Program pilot which helped inform today's Bridges Curriculum. She is also the faculty liaison for cardiovascular clerkships in the UCSF School of Medicine Parnassus campus, and teaches the end of the year CODA course to help prepare graduating students to handle cardiac emergencies during their residency.

ADMINISTRATIVE ROLES: Clinical Practice Chief and Ambulatory Clinical Chief of Cardiology 2012-2020.

ADMINISTRATIVE INTERESTS: As Clinical Chief, Dr. Rao helped design and build three new clinics in San Francisco and the East Bay, helped create the cardiology facets of the electronic health record at UCSF including designing risk calculators, billing tools, and resulting of tests to patients. She has implemented Lean management into the ambulatory clinics, has worked to improve patient experience, physician and staff experience. Dr. Rao created a pharmacist-run physical and virtual team based program for hypertension management to achieve high quality care with evidence based goals in a manner that optimizes patient engagement. She also helped found the Cardiology Outpatient Recovery (COR) program to address the special needs of Transitions of Care for cardiac patients being discharged from the hospital. Dr. Rao has worked with strategic partners to improve operational collaboration, and with various payers and Population Health programs to create high quality, cost-effective cardiac care.

Education
Fellowship, 2006 - Division of Cardiology, University of California, San Francisco
Residency, 2003 - Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
Internship, 2001 - Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
M.D., 2000 - School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
A.B., 1995 - Biology, Harvard University
Honors and Awards
  • Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators Excellence in Teaching Award, University of California, San Francisco, 2014
  • Cardiology Faculty Teaching Award, University of California, San Francisco, 2007
  • American Association of Cardiologists of Indian Origin (AACIO) Dr. Krishna Ramaswamy Young Investiga, 2006
  • Actelion Young Investigator Research Award, Actelion Pharmaceuticals, 2006
  • Cardiology Fellow Teaching Award, University of California, San Francisco, 2005
  • American Medical Women’s Association Achievement Citation, 2000
  • Alpha Omega Alpha Honors Society, 1999
Websites
Publications
  1. Geoffrey H Tison, Rose Pavlakos, Tuhin K Sinha, Ian S Eslick, Rebecca Coelius, Hannah Gittelman, Nelson B Schiller, Marilyn R Stebbins, Lisa Kroon, Valerie Clinard, Jeffrey E Olgin, Donald Grandis, Rajni K Rao. Abstract 21293: Hypertension: Innovating Personalized Strategies for Excellent Results (HIPSTER). Circulation 2017. PMID:


  2. Brooks GC, Lee BK, Rao R, Lin F, Morin DP, Zweibel SL, Buxton AE, Pletcher MJ, Vittinghoff E, Olgin JE. Predicting Persistent Left Ventricular Dysfunction Following Myocardial Infarction: The PREDICTS Study. Volume 67 of Issue 10. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2016. PMID: 26965540


  3. Johnson CJ, Roberts JD, James JH, Hoffmayer KS, Badhwar N, Ku IA, Zhao S, Naeger DM, Rao RK, O'Connell JW, De Marco T, Botvinick EH, Scheinman MM. Comparison of radionuclide angiographic synchrony analysis to echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging for the diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Heart rhythm 2015. PMID: 25744613


  4. Thadani SR, Dyverfeldt P, Gin A, Chitsaz S, Rao RK, Hope MD. Comprehensive evaluation of culture-negative endocarditis with use of cardiac and 4-dimensional-flow magnetic resonance imaging. Texas Heart Institute journal 2014. PMID: 24955064


  5. Barazangi N, Wintermark M, Lease K, Rao R, Smith W, Josephson SA. Comparison of computed tomography angiography and transesophageal echocardiography for evaluating aortic arch disease. Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases : the official journal of National Stroke Association 2010. PMID: 20813553


  6. Stephen A. Joseph, Yanfei Yang, Ramford K. Ng, Sanjiv M. Narayan, Paul Varosy, Uday Kumar, Rajni Rao, Mintu Turakhia, Edmund C. Keung, Nitish Badhwar, Byron K. Lee, Zian H. Tseng, Randall J. Lee, Jeffrey E. Olgin, Melvin M. Scheinman. Atypical ECG Characteristics of Atrial Flutter as an Exclusion to Ablation—A Missed Opportunity. Heart Lung and Circulation 2009. PMID:


  7. Rao RK, Tunuguntula A. Cardiology. Crawford MH, DiMarco JP, Paulus WJ, ed Special problems in myocardial ischemia: the diagnosis of coronary artery disease in pre-noncardiac organ transplant patients 2009. PMID:


  8. Barzangi N, Wintermark M, Lease K, Rao RK, Smith W, Josephson S.A.. Comparision of computed tomography angiography to transesophageal echocardiography for evaluation of aortic arch atheroma calcification. American Stroke Association Scientific Sessions Comparision of computed tomography angiography to transesophageal echocardiography for evaluation of aortic arch atheroma calcification. American Stroke Association Scientific Sessions 2009. PMID:


  9. Rao, R. Current Diagnosis and Treatment in Cardiology Pulmonary embolic disease 2008. PMID:


  10. Elyse Foster, Rajni Rao, David De Lurgio, Adam Hoyhtya, Kyle Brunner, Michael Husby, Jill Schafer. Dyssynchrony, Left Ventricular Size, and Gender Predict Echocardiographic Response to Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in the DECREASE-HF Study. Journal of cardiac failure 2007. PMID:


  11. Rao RK, Ye J, Real WM, Springer M, Grossman W, De Marco T, Yeghiazarians Y. Reduced number and function of crculating endothelial progenitor cells in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension Reduced number and function of crculating endothelial progenitor cells in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension 2007. PMID:


  12. Rao RK, Chatterjee K. Heberden's Angina-Pathophysiology and Treatment. Indian heart journal 2006. PMID: 19057046


  13. Kumar UN, Rao RK, Scheinman MM. The 12-lead electrocardiogram in supraventricular tachycardia. Cardiology clinics 2006. PMID: 16939834


  14. Rao RK, Viloria E, Schafer J, De Lurgio D, Foster E. Reduced ventricular volumes and improved systolic performance with cardiac resynchronization therapy: simultaneous biventricular vs. sequential biventricular vs. left univentricular pacing. American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions, Atlanta 2006 Reduced ventricular volumes and improved systolic performance with cardiac resynchronization therapy: simultaneous biventricular vs. sequential biventricular vs. left univentricular pacing. American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions, Atlanta 2006 2006. PMID:


  15. Beinart G, Rao RK, Hollander H. Hospital Physician Ectopic ACTH syndrome resulting in nocardiosis and acute respiratory failure 2003. PMID:


  16. Go AS, Rao RK, Dauterman KW, Massie BM. A systematic review of the effects of physician specialty on the treatment of coronary disease and heart failure in the United States. The American journal of medicine 2000. PMID: 10723976


  17. Lieberman E, Lang JM, Cohen AP, Frigoletto FD, Acker D, Rao R. The association of fetal sex with the rate of cesarean section. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology 1997. PMID: 9077626


  18. Singh HS, Gaggar A, Rao R, Boyle AJ. A stressful situation & an aching heart. Society of General Internal Medicine Conference. Poster Presentation, Toronto, April 2007 A stressful situation & an aching heart. Society of General Internal Medicine Conference. Poster Presentation, Toronto, April 2007. . PMID:


  19. Rao RK, Kumar UN, Schafer J, De Lurgio D, Foster E. American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, Chicago, 2006. Abstract #2931. Poster competition finalist Echocardiographic changes after cardiac resynchronization therapy are not associated with changes in clinical measures . PMID:


  20. Badhwar N, Green D, O’connell JW, Lee BK, Tseng ZH, Marcus GM, Lee RJ, Rao R, et al.. Equilibrium radionuclide angiogram derived measures of dyssynchrony predict clinical outcomes in patients receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy. Heart Rhythm Society Scientific Sessions, San Francisco, 2008. Abstract #6683 Equilibrium radionuclide angiogram derived measures of dyssynchrony predict clinical outcomes in patients receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy. Heart Rhythm Society Scientific Sessions, San Francisco, 2008. Abstract #6683. . PMID: