14. Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM - Qld’s 1st doctor to graduate with quadriplegia, spinal cord injury researcher & disability advocate

Inspirational Tales

My guest on this episode is Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM. Dinesh is a doctor and a lawyer. He is also the 2021 Queensland Australian of the year and a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia for his contribution to medicine. When Dinesh was 25 years old and part way through medical school, he was involved in a car accident. He suffered a spinal cord injury which resulted in him becoming a quadriplegic. In the years following his accident, Dinesh faced many obstacles to completing his medical degree but he did not let this stop him. In 2016 he became only the 2nd person with quadriplegia to graduate as a doctor in Australia, the 1st in Queensland and the 1st with a spinal cord injury. Dinesh is now paving the way for future generations. He is the cofounder of Doctors with Disabilities, actively speaks and advocates for the disability community and is also involved in spinal cord injury research, with the hope that one day those with spinal cord injuries will be able to walk again. Dinesh is an incredible person, so humble and down to earth in spite of all of his achievements. He has a unique view of life and the medical system, understanding what it is like to be both a patient as well as a doctor. He is a wealth of knowledge and a prime example of the extraordinary things that can be achieved, no matter the obstacles. Dinesh’s Details: LinkedIn: dineshpalipana Instagram: @dinesh.palipana Twitter: @dineshpalipana Podcast Details: Website: inspirationaltales.com.au Instagram: @inspirationaltalespodcast