BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Colgate University alumnus Dr. Naresh Rao ’93 was named to the PanAm Aquatics Medical Committee for the 2023-27 quadrennial.
The governing body for seven disciplines in aquatic sports in North, Central and South America, PanAm Aquatics oversees artistic swimming, swimming, diving, high diving, water polo and open water swimming.
Rao joins chair Dr. Jim Miller and Dr. Selina Shah on the committee.
A former collegiate club men’s water polo athlete at Colgate, Rao was also recently selected to serve on Team USA’s Medical Team for the Summer Olympics in Paris 2024. He has previously served at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo 2021 and Rio de Janeiro 2016. Dr. Rao has been a team physician for USA Water Polo for 15 years. He is board-certified in Family Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment and is a Fellow of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine.
He founded MAX Sports Health, an innovative digital health education platform that empowers a new generation to lead healthier lives and has been working with government agencies to service underserved schools and community based organizations.
His critically acclaimed book, “Step Up Your Game: The Revolutionary Program Elite Athletes Use to Increase Performance and Achieve Total Health” was published in 2016. Touted as a playbook to assemble one’s “inner wellness dream team,” the book reveals performance secrets used by elite athletes and how to apply them to everyday life. Medical research has investigated its potential to create meaningful lifestyle changes for athletes and patients alike. Dr. Rao is passionate about speaking on this topic and has delivered keynote speeches internationally.
Before relocating to his roots in New York in 2011, Dr. Rao practiced Sports and Wellness Medicine for ten years in San Diego, California. He served as an instructor at the University of California San Diego, San Diego State University, and Western University of Health Sciences. Currently, he is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine and holds clinical faculty positions at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Mount Sinai Beth Israel Family Medicine Department.
As the Chairman Emeritus of the New York Athletic Club’s Saturday Morning Program, a sports initiative with a history spanning over 128 years, Dr. Rao has contributed significantly to teaching the Olympic tradition to children. He is a competitive tennis player, and completed the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon.
Dr. Rao’s love for sports permeates his professional and personal life. He dedicates his time to educating children on health and wellness, strongly believing in giving back to the community through philanthropy.
