Bio

Dr Vinod Maseedupally is a Senior Lecturer (Education Focused) in the School of Optometry and Vision Science (SOVS) at UNSW Sydney. An optometrist and educator with more than 20 years of experience in clinical education and research, he coordinates contact lens education across Stages 4 and 5 of the Bachelor of Vision Science/Master of Clinical Optometry program.

Vinod's educational interests include technology-enhanced learning, clinical communication, simulation, assessment and feedback, curriculum design, and authentic clinical education. His approach to teaching emphasises the application of knowledge in clinically meaningful contexts and the purposeful use of educational technologies to prepare students for patient-centred clinical practice.

Through a UNSW Nexus Fellowship 2025-26, Vinod has led several strategic educational initiatives at SOVS. A major focus of this work has been the planning and implementation of Programmatic Assessment for Learning across the final two years of the optometry program, supporting a more longitudinal and integrated approach to assessment, feedback and student development. His Nexus projects have also included the use of AI-enabled virtual patients to enhance clinical communication skills and implementation of the RISR platform for digital delivery and assessment of Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs).

Vinod has also coordinated Work Integrated Learning for Vision Science students, strengthening connections between academic learning, workplace experience and graduate capabilities. Technology-enhanced education has been a longstanding feature of his teaching. His educational initiatives have included personalised virtual clinical-case assessments, interactive digital learning resources, and the development of ASSET (A Shared SOVS Educational Trove), a repository of more than 300 anonymised clinical cases designed to support authentic case-based learning across the optometry curriculum. 

His contributions to education have been recognised through the 2020 UNSW Vice-Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, the Faculty of Medicine & Health Award for Teaching Excellence, and the 2025 SOVS Academic Excellence Award in Education. His broader educational leadership has included undergraduate and postgraduate Program Authority roles, mentoring academics and higher degree research students, and contributing to university-wide initiatives in assessment, feedback and academic development. 

Vinod completed his optometry training at L V Prasad Eye Institute and the Bausch and Lomb School of Optometry in Hyderabad, India, before undertaking his PhD at UNSW. He was awarded his PhD in 2013 for research investigating corneal changes associated with orthokeratology. Prior to his academic career at UNSW, he worked at L V Prasad Eye Institute as an optometrist and contributed to clinical education and research. 

Alongside his educational scholarship, Vinod maintains research interests in contact lenses, orthokeratology, myopia management, anterior eye topography and corneal reshaping. He has published in international peer-reviewed journals and contributed to international collaborative initiatives in contact lens research and education, including the British Contact Lens Association's Contact Lens Evidence-Based Academic Reports (BCLA CLEAR). 

Vinod is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and the British Contact Lens Association and maintains active engagement with professional and educational organisations in optometry and contact lens practice. 

His current educational scholarship brings together his clinical expertise and educational leadership, with a particular interest in how authentic learning, technology, simulation, contemporary assessment approaches and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence can enhance the preparation of future optometrists for clinical practice.

Professional affiliations

• Member, Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) – International Association for Health Professions Education, 2026–present
• Member, International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL), 2025–present
• Fellow, Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA), 2018–present
• Fellow, British Contact Lens Association (FBCLA) , 2015–present
• Fellow, American Academy of Optometry (FAAO), 2015–present
• Fellow, International Association of Contact Lens Educators (FIACLE), 2000–2010; Member only 2000–present
• Member, Cornea and Contact Lens Society of Australia (CCLSA), 2010–present
• Member, Orthokeratology Society of Oceania (OSO), 2009–present