Program Director for Interventional Radiology Residencies
Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Radiology
To see if Rex M. Pillai is accepting new patients, or for assistance finding a UC Davis doctor, please call 800-2-UCDAVIS (800-282-3284).
Adult and Pediatric Interventional Radiology
Diagnostic Radiology
Pediatric Radiology
Patients and their physicians turn to me to assist in the care of complex medical problems using the safe, minimally-invasive and innovative technologies the field of interventional radiology is built upon. I strive to provide individualized care to each of my patients based on the latest scientific evidence, practice experience from training at some of the nations' top institutions, and above all, their specific needs.
As an image-guided specialist, my patients are offered targeted, minimally-invasive, therapeutic options for diseases that have historically been untreatable or required extensive and morbid surgical operations.
Rex Pillai, M.D., associate clinical professor, is a minimally-invasive vascular and image-guided specialist performing diagnostic and interventional procedures for adult and pediatric patients. He has expertise in tumour-directed arterial therapy (chemo and radioembolization), tumor ablation and other cutting-edge therapies focusing on liver, kidney, lung, soft tissue and bone cancers.
He treats female patients with symptomatic fibroids (uterine fibroid embolization) and pelvic congestion syndrome as well as male patients with varicoceles.
His specialized clinical interests also include the treatment of vascular and lymphatic malformations, acute and chronic deep venous thromboembolic disease (DVT), complex IVC filter retrievals, portal hypertension as well as pediatric percutaneous and endovascular image-guided interventions.
Dr. Pillai's research interests include applying endoscopic tools to treat biliary disease, novel treatments for vascular malformations, evaluating treatment methodologies and responses of hepatic tumours to radioembolization and biomedical device development.
Vascular and Interventional Radiology
Vascular Center
UC Davis Children's Hospital
UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center
B.Sc., University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada 2004
M.D., Ross University School of Medicine, Iselin NJ & Portsmouth WI 2009
General Surgery, Mount Sinai School of Medicine/Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York NY 2009-2010
Diagnostic Radiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine RUMC, New York NY 2010-2014
Vascular & Interventional Radiology, The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland OH 2015-2016
Pediatric Imaging and Interventional Radiology, UCLA School of Medicine/Ronald Reagan Medical Center, Los Angeles CA 2014-2015
Research Award, UCLA Medical Center, 2015
Research Scholar Award, American Gastroenterology Association, 2005
Perry LM, Loehfelm T, Pillai R, Pan DY, Tejaswi S, Gholami S. Shifting the Treatment Paradigm for Pancreaticoportal Fistula Causing Hepatic Necrosis. Dig Dis Sci. 2020 Jul;65(7):1955-1959. doi:10.1007/s10620-020-06045-4. PMID:31919639.
Taebi A, Pillai RM, Roudsari BS, Vu CT, Roncali E. Computational Modeling of the Liver Arterial Blood Flow for Microsphere Therapy: Effect of Boundary Conditions. Bioengineering (Basel). 2020 Jun 29;7(3):64. doi:10.3390/bioengineering7030064. PMID:32610459.
Jenner ZB, Di Geronimo RT, Molano PB, Pillai RM. Splenic Artery Embolization for Nonocclusive Hepatic Artery Hypoperfusion. Digestive Disease Interventions. 2020;4(01):091-100. doi:10.1055/s-0040-1702998.
Roudsari B, Said M, Vu C, Pillai R. Evaluation of Statewide Variability in the Current Role of Different Specialties in Lower Extremity Endovascular Revascularization for Medicare Beneficiaries. J Vasc Interv Radiol. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2019 Feb;30(2):250-256.e1. doi:10.1016/j.jvir.2018.10.029. PMID:30717959.
Soosman S, Roudsari B, Ghosh S, Vu C, Perez R, Pillai R. Hemodialysis Reliable Outflow (HeRO) Graft Patency and Infection Rates: A retrospective Single Institution Experience. International Symposium of Endovascular Therapy. 2018.
Pillai R, Roudsari B. Making a case for more IR residency positions: Comparing qualifications of medical students applying to IR/DR residencies to NRMP DR match data. Society of Interventional Radiology. 2018.
Pillai R, Kapoor B. Management of Complications of Portal Hypertension: Special Considerations. Kapoor B, Madoff C (eds). Digestive Disease Interventions, First edition, Thieme, New York NY. 2017;5.
Truscott L, Gell J, Chang VY, Lee H, Strom SP, Pillai R, Sisk A, Martinez-Agosto JA, Anderson M, Federman N. Novel association of familial testicular germ cell tumor and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease with PKD1 mutation. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2017 Jan;64(1):100-102. doi:10.1002/pbc.26197. Epub 2016 Aug 31. PMID:27577987.
Pillai R, McLennan G, Martin C 3rd. The makings of an ideal interventional radiology clinical clerkship: Survey results of medical students and interventional radiology educators to improve medical student training in preparation for the IR/DR residency. Society of Interventional Radiology. 2016.
Martin C 3rd, Pillai R. Dialysis Access Anatomy and Interventions: A Primer. Semin Intervent Radiol. 2016 Mar;33(1):52-5. doi:10.1055/s-0036-1578811. PMID:27011428.