Sri Lankan- born quadriplegic Doctor Dinesh Palipana named Queensland’s 2021 Australian of Year

Sri Lankan- born Dr. Dinesh Palipana has been named as Queensland’s 2021 Australian of Year, the Brisbane Times reported.

He is the first quadriplegic medical graduate and medical intern in Queensland.

Dr. Palipana is the 36-year-old founder of Doctors with Disabilities Australia and has contributed immensely to spinal research in Australia.

He is also a senior resident at the Gold Coast University Hospital, a recent law graduate, and the doctor for the Gold Coast Titans physical disability rugby league team.

Dr. Dinesh Palipana was bestowed the tittle of Queensland’s 2021 Australian of Year by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk yesterday (10).

The Premier said that Dr. Palipana has helped create national policies for inclusivity in medical education and employment as the co-founder of Doctors with Disabilities in Australia.

The doctor is reported to have commenced research on equipment that could help people with disabilities walk or even ride a bike again in the future, while he is also currently working on a BioSpine which reads brain patterns, bypasses the spine and sends electric signals to a patient’s legs.

Dr. Pallipana was seriously injured in a car crash in Brisbane in 2010 that robbed him of the use of his legs and left him with limited use of his arms. (NewsWire)