University of Illinois > Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs

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377 Henry Administration Building
506 South Wright Street
MC-348, Urbana, Illinois 61801
Tel: (217) 333-3077
Fax: (217) 244-4770

414 Administrative Office Building
1737 West Polk Street
MC-760, Chicago, Illinois 60612
Tel: (312) 413-3557
Fax: (312) 996-9399

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Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs

Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dr. Mrinalini (Meena) C. Rao was appointed Vice President for Academic Affairs in July 2007. Previously, she served as Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and, from 1999-2002, as Associate Dean and Executive Associate Dean of the Graduate College. She is a Professor of Physiology and Biophysics and Professor of Medicine, College of Medicine at Chicago.

Dr. Rao joined the UIC faculty in 1984 following postdoctoral training at the University of Chicago. Her teaching has been recognized with UIC’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Teaching Recognition Program Award, and the Philip Hawley Distinguished Faculty Award from the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. She was named a University Scholar in 1992, Honors College Fellow of the Year in 2004, and UIC’s Woman of the Year in 2004.

Dr. Rao’s research focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying hormonal and neurotransmitter mediated regulation of physiological processes – in particular, those modulating ion and fluid transport across epithelial cells. The major emphasis is on the gastrointestinal tract, where such studies help elucidate the basis of diseases ranging from infectious diarrheas to inflammatory bowel disease and cystic fibrosis (CF).

Dr. Rao received a Bachelor of Science and Master’s degree in Botany from the University of Delhi, India and a Master’s and Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Michigan. She is a member of the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Physiology and serves on the National Institutes of Health’s Clinical and Integrative Gastrointestinal Pathobiology Study Section.

 

 

 

 

 

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