Vinay Rao

Vinay Rao, DO, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Yale University's Yale School of Medicine. He specializes in palliative care, with a clinical focus on gastrointestinal oncology patients at Yale New Haven Hospital and Yale Cancer Center. His research integrates implementation science and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to enhance supportive care delivery in integrated oncology-palliative care settings. Dr. Rao leads an interdisciplinary GI onco-palliative clinic in North Haven, addressing holistic patient needs via symptom management and quality-of-life improvements. He serves on key committees, including the NCCN Distress Management Panel and Yale New Haven Hospital Ethics Committee. His work emphasizes early palliative care integration and clinical guideline development.

• Education: Internal Medicine Residency at University of Connecticut; Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at Virginia Commonwealth University
• Certifications: Hospice & Palliative Medicine (ABIM, 2018); Internal Medicine (ABIM, 2017)

Research interests center on optimizing palliative care delivery through quality improvement and PROMs. Notable contributions include studies on end-of-life care trends, advance care planning, and guideline development for distress management in oncology patients. He has authored peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals like the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and JNCCN.

Professional activities include roles on the American Society of Clinical Oncology Quality Training Program and Vital Talks. Awards include the 2024 Quality Training Program Completion from ASCO.