Dinesh Palipana

Dinesh Palipana obtained a degree in law from the Queensland University of Technology.[8] He then commenced a Doctor of Medicine at the Griffith University, graduating in 2016 as the first quadriplegic medical graduate in the state of Queensland, the second in Australia. He graduated with several awards[9] and was featured in the Griffith University video Dinesh Palipana is remarkable.[10] He completed a medical clerkship at Harvard Medical School.[11] Palipana holds the title of lecturer at Griffith University.[12] Dinesh was admitted as a lawyer in September, 2020.[13]

Following a spinal cord injury, Palipana found adapted ways to be trained as a quadriplegic doctor in partnership with Griffith University and the Gold Coast University Hospital.[14] This was a previously unaccomplished feat in Queensland. He has consequently openly advocated for training medical students with disabilities in Australia.[15]

Despite spending two years in clinical training as a medical student at the Gold Coast University Hospital, Palipana faced challenges in securing initial employment in his home state of Queensland under Queensland Health.[16][17] At one point, he was the only Queensland medical graduate without an employment offer for the year 2016 despite testaments to his ability.[18]

He was eventually employed by the Gold Coast University Hospital to become Queensland's first quadriplegic intern.[19] He has worked in the emergency department[20] at the hospital, the second busiest department in Australia in 2017.[21][22] He was nominated for an Intern of the Year award at the Gold Coast University Hospital in 2017.[23]

With an interest in radiology,[24] he is a contributor on Radiopaedia, a radiology education portal designed for medical professionals.[25]

In 2020, Palipana became the team doctor for the Gold Coast Titans Physical Disability Rugby League team.[26]

During medical school, Palipana was involved in a car accident causing a spinal cord injury and quadriplegia.[27][28] He was 25 years old at the time. The 2010 motor vehicle accident occurred on Brisbane's Gateway Motorway.[29] A physician attending the accident scene with emergency services had taught Palipana during medical school.[30] During his recuperation, Palipana experienced complications that included sepsis and pleural effusion.[31]

Palipana subsequently spent seven months at a spinal injuries unit in the Princess Alexandra Hospital.[32][33] He met the boxer Joe Frazier during his admission in hospital.[34]

While recuperating from his injury, Palipana spent some time in Sri Lanka.[35] During that time, he was noted for raising awareness[36] and funding[37] for spinal cord injury in the country. In 2013, he gifted a stock of medical supplies for spinal cord injury to the then Minister of Health[38] Maithripala Sirisena.[39] Palipana sits on the council of the Sri Lanka Spinal Cord Network.[40]

Dinesh Palipana at TEDxBrisbane 2018

In 2015, the Medical Deans of Australia and New Zealand issued a set of guidelines providing Australian medical schools the power to exclude students with a range of disabilities.[41] The guidelines can potentially be used exclude medical students with similar conditions to Palipana. By using his story as an example,[42] Palipana has been a vocal advocate for taking an inclusive approach to medical education in the country instead.[43][44][45] Palipana has been using his story to demonstrate ways in which doctors,[46][47][48] and the wider population,[49][50][51][52] can work effectively with disabilities. In 2018, he was a keynote speaker at Stanford Medicine X at the Stanford University[53][54] and TEDxBrisbane[55] on the topic. Through various capacities, he has been an advocate for inclusive employment generally.[56][57]

He is a founding member of Doctors with Disabilities Australia, an advocacy group for physicians with disabilities.[58][59] Through Doctors with Disabilities Australia, Palipana supported some Indian peers in an Indian High Court case during 2019.[60] The case involved a challenge of the Medical Council of India's decisions around medical education and disabilities.[61]

Palipana is a member of the Ambassador Council at the Hopkins Centre, a centre for research in rehabilitation and resilience.[62][63] He has been a member of the Australian Medical Association Queensland's Council of Doctors in Training since 2017.[64] Since gaining employment at the Gold Coast University Hospital, Palipana has promoted inclusion within the organisation.[65][66]

He became an ambassador for Physical Disability Australia in 2020.[67]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Palipana advocated for the interests of people with disabilities,[68][69] particularly in healthcare.[70][71] Palipana appeared on ABC's Q&A to speak about the issue.[72] He spoke at the 2020 Disability Royal Commission on the topic.[73][74]

Palipana has interests in spinal cord injury research.[75][76][77][78][79] He was awarded $2 million in 2019 to pursue research in thought-controlled rehabilitation.[80] He attributes this passion to his own injury. Palipana is a member of the Perry Cross Spinal Research Foundation's scientific committee.[81]

Palipana's interest includes non-invasive interventions to promote functional improvement in spinal cord injury.[82][83] Some of these interventions have involved electroencephalography (EEG) and electrical stimulation,[84] which was highlighted in Griffith University's Be Remarkable media campaign.[85] He has been encouraged by a mentor at Harvard University, where he was one of the first visiting medical students of this nature.[86] The project received $2 million Australian in 2019 from the Queensland Government.[87]

Palipana also has research interests in radiology.[88]

Palipana was born in Kandy, Sri Lanka to Chithrani and Sanath Palipana. He grew up in Byron Bay and Brisbane, Australia.[89] Palipana attributes much of his success to the support of his mother.[90][91][92]

Palipana's story was featured on the popular ABC radio show Conversations with Richard Fidler,[93] the ABC television show Australian Story,[94] BBC Outlook,[95] Today,[96] and Vice (magazine).[97] He appeared on the cover of Sri Lanka's Pulse [98] Magazine in January 2020. Dinesh has spoken at various events such as TED (conference)[99] and alongside speakers such as Deng Thiak Adut[100] regarding his experiences.[101][102][103]

Palipana has written for Ars Technica,[104] ABC News (Australia)[105] and Medscape.[106]

2021: Queensland Australian of the Year.[107]

2019: Medal of the Order of Australia for service to medicine[108]

2019: Junior Doctor of the Year at the Gold Coast University Hospital[109][110]

2019: Third Australian to be awarded the Henry Viscardi Achievement Award[111]

2019: 'Change Making' in National Awards for Disability Leadership[112]