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Dinesh Rao, MD, PhD

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Dinesh Rao, MD, PhD

UCLA Physician Dinesh Rao, MD, PhD specializes in Clinical Pathology/Laboratory Medicine.
Specialty
Clinical Pathology/Laboratory Medicine
Gender
Male
Language Spoken
English
Hospital Affiliation
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
State License Number
A89461
Contact
(310) 825-1675
Fax Number
(310) 825-0410
Email Address
drao@mednet.ucla.edu
MEDICAL BOARD CERTIFICATION
Hematology, American Board of Pathology, 2006
Pathology - Anatomic, American Board of Pathology, 2005
EDUCATION
Fellowship
Hematopathology, UCLA School of Medicine, 2005 - 2006
Residency
Anatomic & Clinical Pathology, UCLA School of Medicine, 2003 - 2005
Medical Degree
MD, Case Western Reserve Univ School of Medicine, 2000
MORE INFORMATION
Research Interest
Normal hematopoietic and lymphoid development as well as pathogenesis of hematolymphoid malignancies.
Additional Information
Dinesh S. Rao received a B.S. summa cum laude in Biochemistry and an M.D. from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA. During this time he developed a deep interest in the pathogenesis of cancer, completing several projects in cancer research during medical school, and went on to a research fellowship at the University of Michigan. There, he made a seminal discovery implicating clathrin mediated trafficking of growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases in the pathogenesis of oncogenic transformation. He then combined clinical training in the pathology of hematologic diseases with further research training in the laboratory of Nobel laureate David Baltimore at Caltech. His research came to focus on the involvement of microRNAs in hematologic development, particularly B-cell development and immunity, and cancer, and resulted in several high-impact publications in well-regarded journals. His research interests include how microRNAs and other non-coding RNAs regulate hematopoietic development and cancer. He combines running a vibrant research laboratory with a busy diagnostic service in leukemia and lymphoma pathology.
Awards & Recognition
  • Kimmel Translational Scholar Award, July 2011
  • Stein-Oppenheimer Endowment Award, July 2011
  • Robert C. Byrd Scholar, Case Western Reserve University
  • Provost Scholar, Case Western Reserve University
  • Phi Beta Kappa
  • Harland G. Wood Prize, Best Undergraduate student in Biochemistry
  • Joseph S. Silber Fellow, American Cancer Society
  • Department of Neurology Award, Best Medical Student in Neurology
  • Research Fellow, Huntington’s Disease Society of America
  • Fellow, Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR), UCLA Daljit S. and Elaine Sarkaria Fellow in Disease Research and Clinical Innovation, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UCLA
  • Joanne Levy, M.D., Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement
  • American Society of Hematology, December 2007
Publications

1. Rao DS, Chang JC, Kumar PD, Mizukami IF, Smithson G, Bradley SV, Parlow AF, Ross TS, (2001). “Huntingtin Interacting Protein 1 is a clathrin coat binding protein required for the differentiation of late spermatogenic progenitors”. Molecular and Cellular Biology, 21(22): 7796-7806.
2. Rao DS, Hyun TS, Kumar PD, Mizukami IF, Lucas P, Rubin M, Sanda M, Ross TS (2002). “Huntingtin-interacting protein 1 is over-expressed in prostate and colon cancer and is critical for cellular survival.” Journal of Clinical Investigation, 110: 351-360.
3. Rao DS, Bradley SV, Kumar PD, Hyun TS, Saint-dic DS, Oravecz-Wilson KI, Kleer CG, Ross TS (2003). “Altered Receptor Trafficking in Huntingtin-Interacting Protein 1-transformed cells”. Cancer Cell, 3: 471-482.
4. Hyun TS, Rao DS, Saint-Dic D, Evan Michael L, Kumar PD, Bradley SV, Mizukami IF, Oravecz-Wilson KI, Ross TS (2004). HIP1 and HIP1r stabilize receptor tyrosine kinases and bind 3-phosphoinositides via ENTH domains. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 279(14):14294-306.
5. Oravecz-Wilson KI, Kiel MJ, Li L, Rao DS, Saint-Dic D, Kumar PD, Provot MM, Hankenson KD, Reddy VN, Lieberman AP, Morrison SJ, Ross TS (2004). Huntingtin Interacting Protein 1 mutations lead to abnormal hematopoiesis, spinal defects and cataracts. Human Molecular Genetics. 13(8):851-67.
6. Rao DS, Goldin JG, Fishbein MC (2005). Determinants of plaque instability in atherosclerotic vascular disease. Cardiovascular Pathology. Nov-Dec;14(6):285-93.
7. Rao DS, Infeld MD, Stern RC, Chelimsky TC (2006). Cough-induced hemiplegic migraine with impaired consciousness in cystic fibrosis. Pediatric Pulmonology. 41(2):171-6.
8. Kaluza V, Rao DS, Said JW, de Vos S (2006). Primary extranodal nasal-type natural killer/T-cell lymphoma of the brain: a case report. Human Pathology. 37(6):769-72.
9. Pham PH, Rao DS, Vasunilashorn F, Fishbein MC, Goldin JG (2006). Computed Tomography Calcium Quantification as a Measure of Atherosclerotic Plaque Morphology and Stability. Invest Radiol. 41(9):674-680.
10. Rao DS, Gui D, Koski ME, Popoviciu LM, Wang H, Reiter RE, Said JW (2006). An Inverse Relation Between COX-2 and E-cadherin Expression Correlates With Aggressive Histologic Features in Prostate Cancer. Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol. 14(4):375-383.
11. O'Connell RM, Rao DS, Chaudhuri AA, Boldin MP, Taganov KD, Nicoll J, Paquette RL, Baltimore D (2008). Sustained expression of microRNA-155 in hematopoietic stem cells causes a myeloproliferative disorder. J Experimental Medicine, 205(3):585-94.
12. Pullarkat ST, Vardiman JW, Slovak ML, Rao DS, Rao NP, Bedell V, Said JW (2008). Megakaryocytic blast crisis as a presenting manifestation of chronic myeloid leukemia. Leukemia Research. 32(11):1770-5.
13. O’Connell RM*, Chaudhuri AA*, Rao DS*, Baltimore D (2009). Inositol phosphatase SHIP1 is a primary target of miR-155. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 106:7113-8 (*Joint first authorship).
14. Rao DS, O’Connell RM, Chaudhuri AA, Garcia-Flores Y, Geiger T, Baltimore D (2010). MicroRNA-34a perturbs B-cell development by targeting the Forkhead transcription factor Foxp1. Immunity, 33(1):48-59.
15. O'Connell RM, Chaudhuri AA, Rao DS, Gibson WS, Balazs AB, Baltimore D (2010). “MicroRNAs enriched in hematopoietic stem cells differentially regulate long-term hematopoietic output”. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, Epub Jul 26 2010.
16. O'Connell RM, Balazs AB, Rao DS, Kivork C, Yang L, Baltimore D (2010). “Lentiviral Vector Delivery of Human Interleukin-7 (hIL-7) to Human Immune System (HIS) Mice Expands T Lymphocyte Populations.” PLoS ONE 5(8): e12009. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0012009.
17. Rao DS and Said JW (2007) “Small lymphoid proliferations in extranodal locations”. Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. 131(3):383–396 . Baltimore D, Boldin MP, O'Connell RM, Rao DS, Taganov KD (2008). “MicroRNAs: new regulators of immune cell development and function.” Nature Immunology. 9(8):839-45.
18. O'Connell RM, Rao DS, Chaudhuri AA, Baltimore D. (2010) “Physiological and pathological roles for microRNAs in the immune system”. Nature Reviews Immunology. 10(2):111-22.
19. Rao DS, O’Connell RM, Chaudhuri AA, Garcia-Flores Y, Geiger T, Baltimore D (2010). MicroRNA-34a perturbs B-cell development by targeting the Forkhead transcription factor Foxp1. Immunity, 33(1):48-59.
20. O'Connell RM, Chaudhuri AA, Rao DS, Gibson WS, Balazs AB, Baltimore D (2010). “MicroRNAs enriched in hematopoietic stem cells differentially regulate long-term hematopoietic output”. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 107(32):14235-40.
21. O'Connell RM, Balazs AB, Rao DS, Kivork C, Yang L, Baltimore D (2010). “Lentiviral Vector Delivery of Human Interleukin-7 (hIL-7) to Human Immune System (HIS) Mice Expands T Lymphocyte Populations.” PLoS ONE 5(8): e12009. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0012009.
22. O’Connell RM, Kahn D, Gibson WSJ, Round JL, Scholz RL, Chaudhuri AA, Kahn ME, Rao DS, Baltimore D (2010). MicroRNA-155 promotes autoimmune inflammation by enhancing inflammatory T cell development. Immunity, 33(4):607-19.
23. Boldin MP, Taganov KD, Rao DS, Yang L, Zhao JL, Kalwani M, Garcia-Flores Y, Luong M, Devrekanli A, Xu J, Sun G, Tay J, Linsley PS, Baltimore D (2011). “miR-146a is a significant brake on autoimmunity, myeloproliferation, and cancer in mice.” J Exp Med, 208(6):1189-201.
24. Zhao JL*, Rao DS*, Boldin MP, Taganov KD, O’Connell RM, Baltimore D (2011). “NF-kB activation in miR-146a deficient mice leads to myeloid malignancy.” Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 108(22):9184-9. (*Joint first authorship).

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