We are pleased to announce that Vasantha Rao, PhD will be appointed to Richard and Kit Barkhouser Distinguished Professor effective July 1, 2020. Rao is among 29 Duke faculty members from eight different colleges and schools to be awarded a distinguished professorship for demonstrating extraordinary scholarship in advancing science and improving human health.
Rao shall be a scholar of true eminence and excellence in the field of glaucoma. Distinguished professors are appointed based on a rigorous nomination process and approved by the Dean of the School of Medicine, the University Provost, and Duke University Board of Trustees. An endowed chair is the highest faculty honor at Duke University.
Vasantha Rao, PhD is Professor of Ophthalmology and Pharmacology and Cancer Biology and has been with Duke Ophthalmology for more than 22 years.
His research programs, which have been funded by the NIH since 1999 are focused broadly on the regulatory mechanisms of actin cytoskeletal organization, cell adhesion and cell-cell junctions in the ocular lens and trabecular meshwork.
His laboratory has identified several novel therapeutic molecular targets including Rho Kinase and Autotaxin to lower intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients. Importantly, his preclinical pioneering research findings played a key role in development of FDA approved drugs Rhopressa and Rocklatan for glaucoma treatment, and initiation of phase 1 human clinical trials of autotaxin inhibitors. His laboratory has also demonstrated the commonly used cholesterol lowering statin drugs lowering eye pressure.
His basic science research in lens has demonstrated essential roles for several small GTP binding proteins (Rho, Rac1 and Rap1) and scaffolding proteins in lens morphogenesis, cytoarchitecture and function.
His group continues to investigate the etiology of ocular hypertension, glaucoma, cataract and secondary cataract and identification of new molecular targets to drive development of efficacious and mechanism-based ocular hypotensive drugs and anti-cataract agents.
He has received several awards including Dr. Roger Vogel Award for pharmaceutical research from ARVO foundation, Cataract Research Award from the National Foundation for Eye Research; RPB Lew R. Wasserman Merit Award and Master Clinician Teacher from the Duke University School of Medicine.
Rao is actively involved in training and mentoring the medical students, under graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and residents and fellows.
He served in various NIH grant review Study Sections. He serves on the ARVO award committee and ARVO Lens Program committee and the Duke SOM clinical AP&T committee.