Vivek Rao

Vivek Rao is a Canadian cardiac surgeon and researcher.{{cite news|title=CELEBRATING HEART MONTH AT UHN WITH THE NEXT GENERATION IN CARDIAC CARE|url=http://www.uhn.ca/corporate/News/Pages/celebrating_heart_month_at_uhn_with_the_next_generation.aspx|website=www.uhn.ca|publisher=UHN|accessdate=1 February 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Taylor|first1=Lesley Ciarula|title=Canadian transplant surgeons skeptical of organ discovery|url=https://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/2010/05/07/canadian_transplant_surgeons_skeptical_of_organ_discovery.html|accessdate=1 February 2015|publisher=Toronto Star|date=May 7, 2010}}{{cite web|title=National Check Up|url=http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/TV%20Shows/The%20National/ID/2458561981/|website=www.cbc.ca|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation}} He was the youngest faculty member ever to join the University of Toronto cardiac surgery division, and, later, the second youngest chief of cardiac surgery ever appointed at the University Health Network Division of Cardiac Surgery.

After attending Upper Canada College, Rao studied medicine at Queen's University at Kingston. He completed his medical and surgical training at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, including PhD training (’94-97), working under the supervision of Richard D. Weisel in the Surgical Scientist Training Program.{{Cite web |title=Vivek Rao |url=https://surgery.utoronto.ca/faculty/vivek-rao |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine |language=en}} He completed a fellowship in cardiac transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.

Rao is the Munk Chair in Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, Toronto General Hospital, and Senior Scientist in the Division of Experimental Therapeutics at the Toronto General Research Institute.

Rao is credited with building Canada's largest Advanced Heart Failure Program. He was also the first cardiovascular surgeon in Canada to implant HeartMate, a mechanical heart technology he imported from his experience under Dr. Mehmet Oz of the "Dr. Oz Show" in New York.

He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Rao was named to Canada's Top 40 Under 40.{{cite web |title=The Surgical Spotlight |date=2007 |pages=10{{ndash}}11 |publisher=University of Toronto |access-date=2023-04-03 |website=surgicalspotlight.ca |url=http://www.surgicalspotlight.ca/Shared/PDF/Summer07.pdf}}