NEWS
Saint Peter’s Healthcare System Brings Advanced Vascular Care to New Central Jersey Office
April 7, 2026
Father-Son Vascular Surgery Team Offer State-of-the-Art Diagnosis and Treatment Options
New Brunswick, N.J. – April 7, 2026 – Saint Peter’s Healthcare System is proud to announce the relocation of its general and vascular surgery practice to 75 Veronica Avenue, Suite 207 in Somerset. At the helm of this Saint Peter’s Physicians Associates practice are two highly experienced vascular surgeons, the father-son team of Niranjan Rao, MD, and his son, Nakul Rao, MD. Andrew Camerota, MD, FACS, a general and thyroid surgeon, is also a member of the practice and provides care at both the Somerset location and in North Brunswick at 215B North Centre Drive.
The senior Dr. Rao has a long-standing reputation in New Jersey where he is responsible for establishing Saint Peter’s as a leader in advanced vascular techniques. For the past 40 years, he has pioneered advances in the field including atherectomy, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, endovenous ablation and endovascular aneurysm repair, among others. Dr. Rao trained in general surgery at Albert Einstein in Philadelphia, PA, and completed a fellowship in vascular surgery at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. During his career, he has focused on non-invasive vascular procedures, including those that are essential for managing conditions such as peripheral artery disease (PAD) and crucial in preventing limb loss and improving quality of life. Some of the procedures performed by Dr. Rao include carotid endarterectomies, aortic aneurysm repair, stents, angioplasty, and occlusive disorders of the legs, among others.
“I am extremely honored to have my son, Nakul (known as Nick), working alongside me since he entered the practice almost one year ago,” said Dr. Niranjan Rao, who is also the vice president and chief medical officer at Saint Peter’s Healthcare System. “Nick brings expanded expertise to the practice with the latest techniques and vascular procedures including carotid stenting, fenestrated branched endovascular aortic repair (F/B-EVAR), and visceral artery interventions.”
Dr. Nakul Rao has been trained in FEVAR, a minimally invasive procedure that uses a stent with cuffs or branches to repair complex aortic aneurysms. An aortic aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of the aorta, the main artery from the heart. Aortic aneurysms form in a weak area in the artery wall and may rupture or split, which can cause life-threatening internal bleeding or block the flow of blood from the heart to various organs. This can lead to heart attack, kidney damage, stroke, and even death. The FEVAR procedure allows for the redirecting of blood flow to vital organs and offers an alternative to open surgery for those with specific conditions that make surgery a higher risk. A stent is inserted via the groin and allows for faster recovery than open surgery.
Other advanced procedures being introduced by Dr. Nakul Rao include TCAR (TransCarotid Artery Revascularization), a procedure that is quickly becoming the standard of care. The procedure treats narrowed carotid arteries by entering the artery just above the clavicle versus a typical groin approach. The procedure is especially useful for treating sicker vascular patients because it only requires a small incision in the neck. It also utilizes a filter that reverses blood flow before stenting the affected artery, thereby reducing the risk of stroke for the patient.
Dr. Nakul Rao will also employ the use of TEVAR (thoracic endovascular aortic repair), another minimally invasive procedure that allows for aortic repair using a stent graft and once again, providing the benefit of faster recovery for patients.
“One of the aspects of our vascular services I’m most excited about is the ability to establish a Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT) at Saint Peter’s,” said Dr. Nakul Rao. “PERT is a multidisciplinary approach that assesses and treats pulmonary embolisms, blood clots in the lungs. The medical team involved in PERT includes experts from cardiology, pulmonology, interventional radiology and vascular surgery, to determine the best course of treatment from medical management, clot dissolving lysis, to mechanically removing the clot.”
Dr. Nakul Rao earned his medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica, West Indies. He completed his residency in general surgery at the Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA, and his fellowship in vascular surgery at Englewood Health Medical Center. He was also a post-doctoral research fellow at the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery at the New York University School of Medicine.
In addition to Drs. Rao, who will be treating patients at the Veronica Avenue location in Somerset, Saint Peter’s vascular surgery team includes physicians practicing at 215B North Center Drive in North Brunswick and 298 Applegarth Road, Suite F, in Monroe. Steven Curtiss, MD, and Scott Rosen, MD, vascular surgeons, see patients at both the North Brunswick and Monroe locations and provide a wide range of services, including vascular surgical care and wound care. They treat a variety of conditions such as aneurysms, carotid artery disease and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and are also recognized for their expertise in dialysis access. Charles Franco, MD, FACS, a general and vascular surgeon, sees patients at the Monroe location, where he offers expertise in vascular surgery, wound care, and minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic procedures.
For more information on Saint Peter’s vascular surgery offerings, visit saintpetershcs.com/vascular.
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About Saint Peter’s University Hospital
Saint Peter’s University Hospital, a member of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, is a 478-bed acute-care teaching hospital sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. Saint Peter’s, which received its seventh consecutive designation as a Magnet® hospital for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2025, and its first Magnet with Distinction®, is also a state-designated children’s hospital and regional perinatal center, and a regional specialist in diabetes, gastroenterology, head and neck surgery, oncology, orthopedics, and women’s services. Saint Peter’s has Advanced Certification in Perinatal Care and Level IV Maternal Levels of Care Verification from the Joint Commission. Saint Peter’s is the recipient of the Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses for the adult intensive care unit, neonatal intensive care unit, cardiac progressive care unit and the pediatric intensive care unit. The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital provides families with access to a full range of pediatric specialties, including a nationally recognized Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, pediatric surgery and orthopedic surgery featuring innovative anterior scoliosis correction. The hospital has the state’s only hospital-based, midwifery-led birth center – the Mary V. O’Shea Birth Center, accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers. Saint Peter’s is a sponsor of residency programs in obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and internal medicine, and is a major clinical affiliate of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences. Visit saintpetershcs.com or call 732.745.8600.