C.V. Rao

Dr. Rao is the longest serving faculty member and dean at St. George’s University, having started his career in teaching at SGU in January 1977. After 44 years leading the dean of students office and providing instruction in the field anatomical sciences in the School of Medicine, Dr. Rao was appointed dean of university alumni affairs in April 2021. In this role, he is reconnecting with all alumni to promote SGU spirit and invite graduates to participate in various activities of the alumni association.

Dr. Rao has a deep and abiding commitment to student well-being and success. He held the position of dean of students at St. George’s University from 1985 to 2021, this after serving as an assistant dean of students from the first year of the University’s existence. Dr. Rao was also a standing member of the University Council of Deans, the Board of Admissions, and the Chair of the Committee for Satisfactory Academic Progress and Professional Standards (CAPPS). He is one of the two founding faculty members of St. George’s University and is the embodiment of the University’s commitment to student support services.

Dr. Rao received his entire formal education at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India, obtaining a Bachelor of Science (Hons) with the Founder’s Gold Medal and distinction in botany in 1968; a Master of Science in zoology in 1970; and his PhD in neuroendocrinology and reproductive physiology in 1974. He is happily married to SGU alumnus Vijaya Chellapilla, MD ’84, and they have two sons.