Madhuri Rao, MD
Dr. Madhuri Rao is the Director of Robotic Thoracic Surgery for the University of Minnesota’s M Health Fairview, a thoracic surgeon at Masonic Cancer Center, and an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Division of Thoracic & Foregut Surgery. Her clinical focus is on improving outcomes for patients diagnosed with lung cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma, esophageal cancer, and benign esophageal conditions including reflux, hiatal hernia, and achalasia.[1]
Dr. Rao’s practice covers every aspect of general thoracic surgery, with a particular interest in minimally invasive surgical techniques and innovative approaches including robotic surgery and alternative thoracoscopic approaches. In addition to caring for patients, Dr. Rao is dedicated to putting an end to disparities in cancer care. She feels that being able to take care of fellow human beings is a privilege, and works every day to provide her patients with the best care that she can deliver.
Education and Career
Dr. Rao was born and raised in Bangalore, India, where she completed medical school at the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences. She completed her basic surgical training with the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, where she earned her MRCS (UK) and then she moved to the United States and completed her General Surgery residency at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, New York and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center. She then moved on to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York to complete a fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery.[1]
Dr. Rao is very involved in the Women in Surgery Interest Groups and is active in the DEI council of the University of Minnesota Department of Surgery.
Research Interests
Dr. Rao is also actively involved in research surrounding tobacco cessation, lung cancer screening, and the surgical management of early-stage lung cancer. Her recent publications include:
Disparities in post-mastectomy reconstruction use among American Indian and Alaska Native women.
Journal: Plastic and reconstructive surgery
Published: July 19, 2023
The current status of non-intubated thoracoscopic lobectomy.
Journal: Journal of thoracic disease
Published: February 22, 2023
Postoperative lung cancer surveillance: the highs and lows of computerized tomographic scanning.
Journal: European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
Published: January 02, 2023
Journal: Asian cardiovascular & thoracic annals
Published: September 27, 2022
Subxiphoid-subcostal versus transthoracic thoracoscopic thymectomy: A safe and feasible approach.
Journal: JTCVS techniques
Published: April 08, 2022
Surgical management of delayed-presentation diaphragm hernia: A single-institution experience.
Journal: JTCVS techniques
Published: October 18, 2021
Right pneumonectomy for invasive pulmonary mucormycosis.
Journal: JTCVS techniques
Published: September 20, 2021
