Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM – Advocate for doctors with disabilities – QLDSTATE RECIPIENT AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR 2021
Source: Australian of the Year
Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM is a senior resident doctor at Gold Coast University Hospital. Despite facing numerous barriers, he became the first quadriplegic medical graduate and medical intern in Queensland. He was recently admitted as a lawyer.
As co-founder of Doctors With Disabilities Australia, Dinesh has worked with the Australian Medical Association to create first-of-kind national policies for inclusivity in medical education and employment.
Dinesh is a doctor for the Gold Coast Titans physical disability rugby league team. He is also a member of multiple committees for disability advocacy and has spoken in world-renowned forums such as TEDx. Through COVID-19, he advocated for equitable treatment for people with disabilities, including as a witness to the Disability Royal Commission.
Dinesh has also contributed significantly to scientific advances in treating spinal cord injury and restoring function to people with paralysis. His national and global impact has been recognised with numerous awards, including Junior Doctor of the Year and the Order of Australia.
Queensland’s AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR! Dr. Dinesh Palipana — SriLankan born
The barriers to becoming a doctor with quadriplegia | Dinesh Palipana
A puddle of water on a highway changed medical student Dinesh Palipana’s life forever. After his accident, his strength and determination saw him return to complete medical school – now with quadriplegia. This deeply personal, inspiring and at times heartbreaking talk details how the most significant barriers to Dinesh’s medical career were …
Dr. Dinesh Palipana is a quadriplegic after his car accident at 25 years. He continued to pursue his medical studies at Griffith University in QLD, inspite of the skeptics in the profession
who felt that his handicap will not allow him to practice Medicine.
His dedicated mother cooks and feeds him each day! She obtained a masters degree to understand and help the disabled.
The mother and son story is most inspiring!! Dr. Dinesh has learnt to work around his disability to use tools for his patients. I can relate to him as I do the same for maintenance and cooking.
Dr. Dinesh is a favourite with Aussies who are recovering from spinal injuries.
