Praveena Gunaratnam is a public health epidemiologist and policy specialist with over 20 years of experience in health and human rights working for government, bilateral and multilateral aid agencies, academia and non-government organizations. She has worked at national, regional and global levels with experience particularly in South-East Asia and the Pacific, and is currently the Director - Primary Health Care with the Clinton Health Access Initiative in Lao PDR, supporting the Lao government and communities to achieve sustainable, equitable coverage of essential health services.

Alongside her professional career, Praveena has been an activist for many years with community groups in Australia, most notably with Amnesty International Australia in both governance and grassroots advocacy roles. She is strong believer in the importance of high-quality research and evidence in driving social change.

She holds a Masters of Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Doctor of Public Health degree from the University of New South Wales.