Dr. Avani Rao joined Radiation Oncology Associates in 2020. Her clinical interests include the treatment of pediatric, gynecological, breast, gastrointestinal, and hematologic malignancies.

Dr. Rao is originally from Kentucky. She graduated magna cum laude with a BS in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology from Yale University, and completed medical school, internal medicine internship, and radiation oncology residency at Johns Hopkins University. She was nominated to AOA during medical school. In residency, Dr. Rao served as Chief Resident, leading educational directives for the residency program and receiving training in advanced radiation therapy modalities including MRI and CT guided brachytherapy, stereotactic radiotherapy, and intensity modulated radiation therapy. After residency, she pursued additional fellowship training at University of Maryland to gain specific expertise in proton therapy.  She has received several awards supporting her research and recognizing her clinical excellence. During training, she initiated a number of research projects, including two clinical trials in specialized techniques for delivering radiation therapy for pancreatic cancer patients. Dr. Rao has published over 20 first-author, peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Rao is board-certified and enjoys delivering excellent multidisciplinary, patient-centered cancer care. Outside of the clinic, Dr. Rao enjoys running, yoga, playing tennis, and being the mother of three children.