Rao, D. C. (Dabeeru C.)

Dabeeru C. Rao (b. 1946) received his bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. (1971) in statistical genetics from the Indian Statistical Institute in Calcutta. He was post-doctoral fellow, 1971-1972, at the Department of Probability and Statistics, University of Sheffield, England. From 1971-1979, he was assistant and associate geneticist (professor) at the Population Genetics Laboratory at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. He went there to work with Newton Morton, Ph.D., the leading genetic epidemiologist in 1971. Rao joined the faculty and administration of Washington University School of Medicine in 1980, serving as: the associate professor of biostatistics (1980-1982), professor of biostatistics (1982-), and the first director of the Division of Biostatistics (1980-). In two decades, the division of biostatistics has become "a powerhouse of biostatistics, specializing in cutting-edge genetic epidemiology methods and analyses of factors influencing disease development." He and the division as a whole offer biostatistical consultation to other Washington University researchers. Dr. Rao himself is known for path analysis, "how genes and environmental factors shape people's lives -- in particular, their risk of developing diseases." He is a founder of the field of genetic epidemiology, and past president of of the International Genetic Epidemiology Society (1996). He is also a founding editor-in Chief (1984-1991) of the society's journal, "Genetic Epidemiology," the leading journal in that field." Sources: Rodriguez, Barbara. "Propelling a biostatistical powerhouse: Dabeeru C. Rao, Ph.D., is 'giant of genetic epidemiology'." Washington University Record, Washington University People, April 20, 2000 http://record.wustl.edu/archive/2000/04-20-00/people.html; Curriculum vitae, D. C. Rao, April 12, 2008, http://www.biostat.wustl.edu/~rao/Rao%20CV.pdf;