Veena N. Rao
PhD
Dr. Rao's current research is in the molecular and functional dissection of ELK-1 and BRCA1 tumor suppressor genes in breast, ovarian and prostate cancers.
Titles and Roles
- Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Morehouse School of Medicine
- Co-Director, Cancer Biology Program
- Morehouse School of Medicine
- Research Program
- Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics
Biography
Veena N. Rao, PhD, is Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and serves as co-director of the Cancer Biology Program at Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Rao is a member of the Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics Research Program at Winship Cancer Institute.
Education
Dr. Rao earned her PhD in Biochemistry from Osmania University, India with part of her thesis work completed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston; Max Planck Institute, Gottingen, West Germany; and University of Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K. She received a Master of Science in Biochemistry from Osmania University. She completed her postdoctoral training with a Fellowship in Molecular Biology at University of California, Berkley, and a Fellowship in Human Genetics at Yale University School of Medicine.
Research
Dr. Rao has been working in the BRCA1 field from the time it was discovered and has several patents. She was the first to find evidence that BRCA1a induces cell death in breast cancer cells, and was also the first to introduce BRCA1a into triple negative breast cancer by gene therapy, successfully blocking tumor development in mice. Her current research is in the molecular and functional dissection of ELK-1 and BRCA1 tumor suppressor genes in breast, ovarian and prostate cancers.
Publications
Publications Publication Date