John Monash Scholar, Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM, a doctor, lawyer, disability advocate, and researcher, is the only quadriplegic to graduate medical school in Queensland and the second person from Australia to have quadriplegia graduate from medical school.
Halfway through medical school, he was injured in a motor vehicle accident, resulting in a cervical spinal cord injury. As a result of his injury and experiences, Dinesh has been an advocate for inclusion. In fact, he is a founding member of Doctors with Disabilities Australia.
Dinesh works at the Gold Coast University Hospital's emergency department. He is a senior lecturer at Griffith University and an adjunct research fellow at the Menzies Health Institute of Queensland, a research fellow at the Jamieson Trauma Institute, a spinal cord injury researcher, and a doctor for the Gold Coast Titans physical disability rugby team. On top of that, he is a senior advisor to the Disability Royal Commission, an ambassador for the Human Rights Commission's Includeability program, and an ambassador for the 2021 International Day of People with Disability.
In 2018, Dinesh was named Junior Doctor of the Year at the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, and in 2019, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. He was the third Australian to be awarded a Henry Viscardi Achievement Award and was the 2021 Griffith University Young Alumnus of the Year.
In 2023, Dinesh joined the advisory board of healthylife where he uses his experience and skills to provide expert health information and advocate for the health of Australians.
Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM is the 2021 Queensland Australian of the Year. A true inspiration, he will change your life, like he has done for so many others.
