Stanford University
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Serena Rao
Senior Associate Dean for Finance and Administration, Vice Provost and Dean of Research
BioSerena is the Senior Associate Dean in the Office of the Vice Provost and Dean of Research (VPDoR) at Stanford University. Reporting directly to the Dean, Serena supports Stanford's interdisciplinary labs, centers, institutes, and research-support offices. She guides their strategic activities, advises on operational challenges, and oversees all administrative activities. She also plays a key role in facilitating strategy development and leading the implementation of the university's research initiatives.
Serena’s extensive experience at Stanford includes over six years in the University Budget Office, where she was a vital member of the Provost’s Budget Group. In this capacity, she led complex analytical projects that informed strategic decisions for senior leadership and contributed significantly to the development of Stanford's annual consolidated budget. Prior to higher education, Serena managed city-wide infrastructure planning initiatives, annual capital budgets, and long-term debt forecasts for the Mayor's Office of Management and Budget in New York City.
Serena earned her Doctor of Education (Ed.D. ) degree at the University of Pennsylvania. Passionate about higher education and working in service to learning, Serena takes pride in getting things done effectively and creatively and excels in operating at both strategic and tactical levels. -
Yuan James Rao, MD
Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology (Radiation Therapy)
BioDr. Yuan James Rao is an Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, and Co-Director of Proton Therapy at Stanford University. In 2026, Dr. Rao co-led the team at Stanford that treated the world’s first pediatric and adult patients with ultra-compact upright proton therapy. Dr. Rao’s professional goal is to develop the world’s most advanced proton therapy program at Stanford University.
Proton therapy is a remarkable form of radiation treatment that uses heavy charged particles (protons) accelerated to approximately two-thirds the speed of light. The unique physics of protons allows the radiation to stop within a defined distance in the body, whereas standard x-ray therapy continues to deposit radiation after treating the tumor (known as “exit dose”). By reducing exit dose, protons may reduce normal tissue exposure to radiation, which is particularly beneficial for children and young adults with cancer, and patients requiring a second course of radiation. Dr. Rao currently coordinates the Stanford Radiation Oncology Department’s clinical, research, and education efforts related to proton therapy.
Dr. Rao’s clinical practice focuses on the care of patients with Head and Neck cancer, and Thoracic cancers. His goal is to provide the highest quality care to his patients, using the most appropriate technology. This may include proton therapy but also potentially other techniques such as intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), stereotactic body radiation (SBRT), MR-guided radiotherapy, 3D conformal radiotherapy, or other technologies. Nearly all radiation technologies are available at Stanford University, and thus Dr. Rao and his Radiation Oncology colleagues are well positioned to choose the best treatment for every patient.
Dr. Rao trained at the prestigious Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University in St. Louis, and during residency was among the first physicians in the world to use the Mevion S250 proton therapy device and the ViewRay MRI-guided radiotherapy device. Dr. Rao has traveled to UCSF, MD Anderson, Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, Medical University of Vienna, and University Medical Center Utrecht to learn about various advanced radiotherapy techniques including MR-guided radiotherapy, brachytherapy, and proton therapy.
Prior to his role at Stanford, Dr. Rao was a physician at George Washington University in Washington, DC and held the positions of Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology and Biomedical Engineering (by courtesy), and Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery (by courtesy). He was also the founding Director of Brachytherapy, and implemented programs for gyn, head and neck, prostate, and skin radiation implants using high dose rate (HDR) techniques. He was honored as a Washingtonian Top Doctor for each of the years that he practiced in DC, and Dr. Rao has treated members of Congress with radiotherapy (public information).
Dr. Rao is a prolific researcher with more than 50 peer-reviewed publications. He is an expert in proton therapy, head and neck cancer, thorax cancers, gyn cancers, GU cancers, brachytherapy, artificial intelligence, machine learning, image analysis and large database "big data." He is co-author of the ‘Endometrial Cancer’ chapter of the 8th edition of Perez and Brady’s Principles and Practice of Radiation Oncology, the world’s most widely used reference textbook in the field. He regularly gives invited talks nationally and internationally. Dr. Rao has been grant funded by the American Cancer Society.
Dr. Rao is a respected educator and mentor, and has taught numerous engineering/physics students, medical students and residents; many of whom have gone on to become successful physicists, scientists, entrepreneurs, and physicians.
