Basavapatna Narayana Balakrishna Rao (1910–1995) was an Indian surgeon, medical academic, researcher, writer and the president of the Association of Surgeons of India. He was a professor and head of the department of surgery at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. One of the founder fellows of the National Academy of Medical Sciences, he was also an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 1971, for his contributions to medical science.