Dr Rajendra Gyawali, an optometrist and health service researcher, is a research fellow at the Centre for Health System and Safety Research, Australian Institute of Health Innovation. Rajendra’s research focuses on developing, evaluating, and implementing evidence-based tools and programs to improve healthcare delivery across a range of settings. His interests also include optimising the use of routinely collected data to drive healthcare improvements.

Rajendra holds a PhD (UNSW Sydney) and Master's in Optometry Research (UKZN Durban), and a Bachelor of Optometry (IOM, Nepal). He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and a member of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

He practiced as an optometrist in private, hospital, and community settings in Nepal and the Maldives. Prior to moving to Australia for his PHD, he also led the development of several new optometry schools in Malawi, Eritrea, and Vietnam prior to moving to Australia for his PhD. For his PhD research, he utilised implementation science methods to understand and address the gaps in evidence-based eye care in Australia.