FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

           

For more information, contact:

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Sheila Champlin – (901) 448-4957, schampli@uthsc.edu

 

 

Physiology Professor Gadiparthi Rao of

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Renews Four NIH Grants
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Grants Will Bring In More Than $6 Million in Research Funding
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Memphis, Tenn. (February 8, 2012) – The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is pleased to announce that Gadiparthi Rao, PhD, professor in the Department of Physiology, has successfully renewed four grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), bringing his current total to five R01 grants – the highest number held by one individual at UTHSC.  The renewed grants bring more than $6 million in research funding to UTHSC.  The multiple grant renewals are a rare accomplishment, especially given the economy.  The renewal of the grants allows Dr. Rao to continue his major research on the role of lipid molecules and cytokines in vascular diseases, which affect the circulatory system, as well as retinopathies, which form non-inflammatory damage to the retina of the eye.

"Dr. Rao's research has reached national prominence as recognized by the five RO1 grants he has received from NIH.  I am very pleased that UTHSC recognized him with the University Distinguished Professor title,” said Gabor Tigyi, MD, PhD, Harriet Van Vleet Professor and chair of the Department of Physiology.

“I think I’ve been very successful in obtaining grants and renewing them because of my enthusiasm for science and publication track record,” said Dr. Rao.

After receiving his doctorate in life sciences in 1979 from Gujarat University in India, he spent 13 years working at noted southern medical institutions.  Dr. Rao joined the UTHSC Physiology Department in 2000.  In addition to being recognized as a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Physiology, he was named a Fellow by the American Heart Association in 2011.  Dr. Rao also serves on the editorial board of Circulation Research and Arteriosclerosis and Vascular Biology, two prestigious journals of the American Heart Association.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.  For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service.  In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrated its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care.  Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy.  The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit.  In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit.  Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state.  For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.

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