Sheetal Khedkar Rao

Dr. Sheetal Khedkar Rao serves as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine and Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Public Health at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, within the Department of Medicine's Division of Academic Internal Medicine and Geriatrics.

Dr. Rao's educational background includes:

• Medical School: Georgetown University School of Medicine
• Residency: University of Illinois Chicago
• Fellowship: University of Colorado Anschutz (Climate and Health Science Policy)
• Fellowship: Center for Health Equity Education and Advocacy/Harvard Medical School (Climate Health Community Organizing)

Dr. Rao's research focuses on the intersection of environmental factors and human health, with particular emphasis on climate change impacts. As a clinical educator, she teaches internal medicine residents in ambulatory settings and leads a graduate-level course at the UIC School of Public Health on the health impacts of climate change. Her work extends beyond academia through Nordson Green Earth, her Illinois-based nonprofit organization that improves health and biodiversity by increasing tree canopy and native greenspaces in the Chicago region, which is a member of the National Academy of Medicine's Climate Communities Network.

Dr. Rao actively contributes to climate health policy as a member of the American Hospital Association's Climate and Community Health Technical Expert Panel and as a board member of the Illinois Clinicians for Climate Action. Her expertise spans health care climate resilience, climate and health education, health benefits of nature/biodiversity, air pollution, and the health effects of extreme heat.

Dr. Rao maintains clinical practice at UI Health's Primary Care Plus Outpatient Care Center, working with patients to optimize health through lifestyle changes, diet, and medication while integrating environmental health considerations into patient care.