P. Syamasundar Rao
Professor
University of Texas
USA
Biography
Dr. P. Syamasundar Rao is Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine and Emeritus Chief of Pediatric Cardiology at the University of Texas-Houston Medical School and Professor of Pediatrics at the University Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Dr. Rao received his medical degree from Andhra Medical College/University, Visakhapatnam, India where he subsequently served internship and began pediatric training. Following completion of pediatric training in USA, he received training in Pediatric Cardiology at Stanford University, Case-Western Reserve University and University of California at Los Angeles. After training he joined the faculty at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia, USA, then rose to the rank of Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Director of Pediatric Cardiology. His subsequent positions were Consultant Pediatric Cardiologist and Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Professor and Director of Division of Pediatric Cardiology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin and Professor and Director, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine/Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Rao authored 360 papers, ten monographs/books and 60 book chapters. He had 230 abstract presentations at various national and international scientific societies and his invited presentations were 150. He lectured and made catheter intervention demonstrations in a number of countries including India, USA, Australia, Finland, Sweden, Germany, New Zealand, Brazil and Japan. Dr. Rao’s honors include Award for Outstanding Contribution to Pediatric Cardiology, presented by Telugu Association of North America, John Linds Lecture at Swedish Pediatric Association, Gothenburg, Sweden, Meritorious Service Award from Wisconsin Nicaragua Partners of the Americas, Outstanding Service Award from Healing the Children of Wisconsin, Outstanding Scientist Award from American Association of Cardiologists of Indian Origin and Kreidberg’s Lecture at Tufts University/New England Medical Center, Boston, MA.. He is a pioneer in interventional pediatric cardiology and made many contributions in catheterization and angiography in 1970s, balloon angioplasty/valvuloplasty in 1980s and transcatheter catheter closure of cardiac defects in 1990s, developed new pediatric cardiology/pediatric cardiovascular surgery program in 2000s and developing educational programs for physicians in 2010s.
Research Interest
Dr. Rao’s special interests are physiologically advantageous ventricular septal defects, tricuspid atresia and transcatheter management of heart defects in children.