Gundu Hirisave Rama Rao

Gundu Hirisave Rama Rao[1][2] is an Indian scientist, entrepreneur and emeritus professor at the University of Minnesota's Academic Health Center.

Rao is the founder of the South Asian Society on Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis[3] and AayuSmart LLC, an IT-supported web-based health-management company.

He spends half of his time in India, developing collaborative projects related to improving health care.

Rao studied for a PhD in agriculture entomology at Kansas State University, specializing in grain science technology.

The following year, Rao joined the University of Minnesota's faculty in the Department of Entomology, Fisheries and Wildlife.

He began working with James G. White, who was researching the morphology and ultrastructure of blood platelets in the Department of Pediatrics, in 1972.

Rao visited India in 1981 with John W. Eaton, professor of molecular anthropology at the University of Minnesota, to explore opportunities to establish collaborative programs.