Dr. Dinesh Palipana OAM

Master of Science in Internal Medicine

University of Edinburgh and Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

Dinesh was the first quadriplegic medical intern in Queensland. He is a doctor, lawyer, disability advocate and researcher. Halfway through medical school, he was in an accident that caused a spinal injury. Dinesh now works in the emergency department of a major Queensland hospital, as well as being a researcher and senior lecturer at Griffith University in spinal cord injury. Among a portfolio of achievements, Dinesh is a doctor for the Gold Coast Titans physical disability rugby team, was a senior adviser to the Disability Royal Commission and is a co-founder of Doctors with Disabilities Australia. Dinesh was Gold Coast Health's Junior Doctor of the Year in 2018, received the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2019, was the 2021 Griffith University Young Alumnus of the Year and Queensland Australian of the Year for 2021. His autobiography, Stronger, was published in 2022. “It was never my intention to become a doctor to earn a salary, but rather to give back to the community. As I build my career, I hope to gather resources to give more and more time freely to Australian communities that need it the most.”