Meenakshi Rao

Dr. Meenakshi Rao is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Attending Physician in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Boston Children's Hospital. She leads research on enteric nervous system development and its role in digestive health and disease.

Her education includes:

• MD and PhD from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Residency at Boston Combined Residency Program
• Fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital

Dr. Rao's laboratory investigates how intrinsic nerve circuits of the gastrointestinal tract regulate digestive function and how dysfunction contributes to disease. Her work spans neuroimmune interactions, gut-brain communication, and microbial influences on neuronal development.

Recent publications focus on enteric glial biology, neuroimmune mechanisms in gut inflammation, and neural regulation of gastrointestinal motility, demonstrating consistent themes in neurogastroenterology and mucosal immunology.