Full Name
Dr Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM
Position title
Principal Medical Officer
Organisation
Gold Coast University Hospital
Speaker Bio
Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM is a doctor, lawyer, researcher and disability advocate whose remarkable journey has inspired people across Australia and around the world.
Following a spinal cord injury sustained in a motor vehicle accident while studying medicine, Dinesh became the first quadriplegic medical intern in Queensland. Drawing on his lived experience, he has become a passionate advocate for inclusion and accessibility in healthcare and society.
Dinesh works at Gold Coast University Hospital and is a Senior Lecturer at Griffith University, with research roles at the Menzies Health Institute Queensland and the Jamieson Trauma Institute focused on spinal cord injury. He is also a doctor for the Gold Coast Titans Physical Disability Rugby League team.
A founding member of Doctors with Disabilities Australia, Dinesh was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2019 and was named Queensland Australian of the Year in 2021.
Following a spinal cord injury sustained in a motor vehicle accident while studying medicine, Dinesh became the first quadriplegic medical intern in Queensland. Drawing on his lived experience, he has become a passionate advocate for inclusion and accessibility in healthcare and society.
Dinesh works at Gold Coast University Hospital and is a Senior Lecturer at Griffith University, with research roles at the Menzies Health Institute Queensland and the Jamieson Trauma Institute focused on spinal cord injury. He is also a doctor for the Gold Coast Titans Physical Disability Rugby League team.
A founding member of Doctors with Disabilities Australia, Dinesh was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2019 and was named Queensland Australian of the Year in 2021.
Speaking At
