Program Faculty
Damon Cao, MD
Program Director
Dr. Cao is a dual-trained nephrologist and intensivist with a strong commitment to clinical excellence, community engagement, and transformative education. Throughout his career, he has balanced patient care with a deep passion for mentoring, guiding fellows and trainees to reach their full potential in both academic and clinical realms.
During his fellowship, Dr. Cao served as Chief Fellow and led multiple research initiatives focused on fluid assessment and management in chronic dialysis patients. His current academic interests lie in quality improvement research, with a focus on enhancing patient safety and advancing the delivery of care in nephrology and intensive care settings.
Beyond his clinical expertise, Dr. Cao is known for his genuine warmth, collaborative spirit, and learner-centered leadership style. He thrives on fostering curiosity and confidence in his trainees, creating an environment where fellows feel supported, challenged, and empowered to grow into well-rounded, compassionate nephrologists.
Dr. Cao also holds an MBA with a concentration in healthcare management, giving him a unique perspective at the intersection of clinical practice and systems-based leadership. As Fellowship Director, he brings this vision to life by cultivating a training environment that emphasizes innovation, wellness, and the skills needed to lead in a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape.
Srikanth Raayasa, MD
Associate Program Director
Raayasa is the founding member of Focus Kidney Care. Dr. Raayasa attended the University of Mysore Medical School, India and graduated in 2000. After this, he went ahead and did his training in Internal Medicine Residency in NYHQ/Cornell University campus in New York, N. Y. He completed his fellowship training in Nephrology at the University Hospital Westchester Medical center. He is a member of the American Society of Nephrology, the Renal Physicians Association and the Harris County Medical Society. He is Board-certified in Internal Medicine and Nephrology and has been practicing Nephrology and Internal Medicine in the Houston area since 2011. In his free-time, Dr. Raayasa enjoys spending time with his family, music, soccer and playing tennis.
Mohan Rathi, MD
Core Faculty
Dr. Mohan Rathi is a Clinical Nephrologist who specializes in diagnosing and treating people with conditions of the Kidneys. His initial training in Internal Medicine was at Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, New York, after which he got trained in treating kidney diseases (Nephrology Fellowship) at New York Medical College, Westchester University Hospital in Valhalla, New York. After his fellowship in New York, he served in Lexington, Winchester and Mt Sterling, KY where he provided exemplary care for kidney diseases and dialysis to the people of North-Eastern Kentucky for nearly 4 years. He moved to Houston, TX in January 2016 to extend his services to Houston, Kingwood and surrounding areas.
Sowmya Puthalapattu, MD
Core Faculty
Dr. Puthalapattu has been in practice in nephrology and a medical staff member at HCA Kingwood since 2009, GME since 2019. Her goal is to inspire interest in the prevention of renal disease, promote understanding and treatment of acute and chronic kidney disease, provide compassionate care, and educate tomorrow's leaders.
Rajeev Raghavan, MD
Core Faculty
Dr. Rajeev Raghavan is the Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency at HCA Kingwood. He was the Nephrology Fellowship PD at the Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) from 2015 to 2021. He performs on cello with the Texas Medical Center Orchestra and keeps a busy schedule with three daughters.
Brett Stephens, MD
Teaching Faculty
Dr. Stephens graduated from Texas A&M University in 1999, followed by a degree in medicine from UT Houston in 2003. He remained at UT Houston, completing an IM residency and nephrology fellowship. Since 2013, he has worked at Humble Vascular Surgical Center as a full-time interventionalist, performing over 15,000 procedures.