Satish Rao 
Digestive Health Expert | Augusta University
Augusta, GA, UNITED STATES
Dr. Satish Rao, a seasoned gastroenterologist, is an expert in digestive health, particularly the brain-gut connection.
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Biography
Rao helped launch the Augusta University Digestive Health Center. He is one of a rare breed of academicians who has excelled as an outstanding researcher, distinguished educator and as a Master Clinician.
Rao’s research interests focus on the pathophysiology and treatment of IBS, food intolerance particularly fructose intolerance, constipation and fecal incontinence and visceral pain, particularly esophageal chest pain. He has pioneered several new techniques of evaluating esophageal, gastric, colonic, and anorectal function, in particular the brain-gut axis, has received several patents and pioneered the technique of biofeedback therapy for dyssynergic defecation.
He is currently investigating the neurobiologic mechanisms of biofeedback therapy and pioneering new treatments for fructose intolerance.
Areas of Expertise (10)
Bowel movements
Constipation
Motility
Fructose intolerance
Brain-gut connection
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (Ibd)
Digestive Health Disorders
Biofeedback Therapy
Gastroenterology
Anorectal Disorders
Accomplishments (5)
America's Top Doctors (professional)
2016-11-15
Dr. Satish Rao has been included in America’s Top Doctors,® a national patient reference guide published by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. for his expertise - both clinical and investigative - in gastroenterology for more than 15 years.
Distinguished Clinician Award (professional)
American Gastroenterology Association award for excellence and dedication to the clinical profession of gastroenterology
Masters Award for Outstanding Clinical Research (professional)
American Gastroenterology Association award for excellence in clinical research efforts.
American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Auxiliary Research Award (professional)
The highest research award from ACG, and in 2007 the ACG Novartis Motility research award for the best research paper. In 2009, he was awarded the International Foundation for Functional GI disorders Senior Clinical Investigator Award.
Regents Award for Faculty Excellence (professional)
In 2010, he received the most distinguished honor from University of Iowa, University of Iowa Regents Award for Faculty Excellence.
Affiliations (1)
- American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (ANMS)
Links (3)
Media Appearances (6)
Colin's Constipation Contemplation And Cogitation
NPR - National Public Radio radio
2018-01-25
Dr. Satish Rao, professor of medicine at Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, talks about constipation in the 19th part of a new experiment called Radio for the Deaf. This program interprets radio shows in American Sign Language and produces new videos twice a month. In January, Augusta University’s Dr. Rao joined Radio for the Deaf to talk about constipation.
Doctors Reveal the 9 Best Health Hacks For 2018
Men's Health magazine online
2018-01-01
3. Train yourself to poop at the same time each day to prevent constipation. Having consistency with your pooping is important for regulating your bowel function, which can help reduce constipation. You might think training yourself to poop is like teaching a cat to fetch, but it’s actually possible—especially if you make pooping a priority right after waking up, says Satish Rao, M.D., director of the Digestive Health Center at Augusta University.
How to Recover from a Food Coma
Lifehacker.com online
2017-11-22
We talked with Dr. Satish Rao, Director, Neurogastroenterology & GI Motility at Augusta University, to find out. “It’s interesting,” he begins. “‘Food coma’ is very much an American term. It’s not used elsewhere in the world.” Oh the chagrin, my fellow Americans. Oh the chagrin. Dr. Rao says there are three factors contributing to this singular physiological experience. “First, you have stolen blood from the rest of the body and diverted it to the gut, to facilitate the metabolism of the food.” He compares it to when you exercise, and blood in your body is diverted to your muscles, heart, and lungs to better oxygenate your blood and feed the muscles. “Literally, the reverse happens when you have overfilled your stomach,” Dr. Rao says. Blood from other parts of the body, including your brain, goes to your gut to help support the activity there.
‘How Often Should I Really Be Pooping?’ Your number-one question about going number two.
Women's Health magazine online
2017-04-14
Everybody poops, according to Women’s Health magazine writer Tracey Middleton. But the real question is: How frequently should you be going? It can cause anxiety if you and your roommate are on different ends of the spectrum. But experts, including Satish Rao at Augusta University’s Digestive Health Center, say to relax, because a wide range of pooping frequencies is totally normal.
Sloths Die from Bowel Movement : Can Humans Die From It Too?
HealthAim
2016-06-27
Bowel movement is a sloth’s enemy. They almost die from every time they have to poop. The world’s slowest mammal is always viewed as living a sweet life. Sloths hang out in trees all day, sleeping, eating and moving really slow. What a sweet, contented life!
Why Coffee Makes You Poop
Men's Health
2015-10-05
At the surface, it’s pretty simple: Coffee increases contractions in your gut, which activate that gotta-go urge as stool travels to your rectum, says Satish Rao, M.D., Ph.D., the director of the digestive health center at Georgia Regents University. Two decades ago, Dr. Rao and his teams recruited 12 lucky people to wear anal probes with sensors that measured pressure activity throughout different parts of their colons and rectums. Over the course of 10 hours, the subjects drank the same amounts of caffeinated coffee, decaf coffee, and hot water, and ate a 1,000-calorie burger meal...
Articles (3)
Anorectal disorders
Gasteroenterology2016 This report defines criteria and reviews the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and management of the following common anorectal disorders: fecal incontinence (FI), functional anorectal pain, and functional defecation disorders. FI is defined as the recurrent ...
Treatment of fecal incontinence: state of the science summary for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases workshop
The American Journal of Gastroenterology2015 This is the second of a two-part summary of a National Institutes of Health conference on fecal incontinence (FI) that summarizes current treatments and identifies research priorities. Conservative medical management consisting of patient education, ...
An update on anorectal disorders for gastroenterologists
Gasteroenterology2014 Gastroenterologists frequently encounter pelvic floor disorders, which affect 10-15% of the population. The anorectum is a complex organ that collaborates with the pelvic floor muscles to preserve fecal continence and enable defecation. A careful clinical ...
