Since taking the position as Director of the Division, he has spurred the growth of the division in the two major areas of clinical trials and genetic epidemiology. Growth in clinical trails was made much easier because of the outstanding skills of existing faculty members. Dr. Rao's own academic experience in the field helped to establish the Division as a center of excellence in genetic epidemiology. Research in this area includes development of new methods for analyzing data and modeling possible outcomes, as well as the applications of these and other methods to studies of complex disorders such as coronary heart disease, obesity, hypertension, and pulmonary disease. Dr. Rao is an experienced genetic epidemiologist, perhaps best known for his contributions to path analysis. His current research interests are concerned with genetic dissection of complex traits. He has published over 300 research articles.

Dr. Rao's applied research deals largely with genetic epidemiological investigations of cardiovascular disease and its co-morbidities. He is currently the PI of several research projects, including a methodological grant and Data Coordinating Centers for several multicenter family and genetic studies (HyperGEN, FBPP, HERITAGE).