Dr. Rao was born in Devon, England and moved to Florida when she was six years old. She then moved to California a couple years after and grew up there. She attended University of California Riverside, earning a BA in Liberal Studies (major in Psychology, minor in Philosophy). She received her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine in 1996 and completed her Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Pediatric Dentistry in 1998 at the same school. She has practiced pediatric dentistry since then. She was an adjunct clinical faculty at University of Louisville in KY while her husband was in residency. She moved to sunny Arizona in 2007, and Arizona has been her home since.

She has been an attending since 2014 with NYU Langone–Phoenix Advanced Education in Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Rao is a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Arizona Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, a Special Smiles Clinical Director for Special Olympics, and serves as an evaluator for oral conscious sedation permits with the Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners. Dr. Rao and her husband, Dr. Siu, are blessed with their daughter, Sofina.

She loves traveling, cooking, and enjoying different cultures.