Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM

Award-winning doctor, co-founder of Doctors with Disabilities Australia, disability advocate, researcher, and lawyer

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.

Disability

Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM Book as a speaker/entertainer for your next event

Key Points for Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM

Dr Dinesh Palipana is a doctor, lawyer, and disability advocate who made history as Queensland’s first quadriplegic medical intern and only the second person in Australia with quadriplegia to graduate medical school. His unique journey breaks barriers and inspires people across all industries.
After sustaining a life-changing spinal cord injury in a car accident during medical school, Dinesh returned to finish his degree and has since become a powerful voice for inclusion, accessibility, and human potential. His lived experience fuels his mission to change perceptions and systems.
Dinesh balances frontline work in the emergency department with groundbreaking research in spinal cord injury, academic leadership at Griffith University, and advisory roles across health and disability sectors, including with the Disability Royal Commission and Human Rights Commission.
Honoured as the 2021 Queensland Australian of the Year, a John Monash Scholar, and recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia, Dinesh is a sought-after speaker who brings insight, empathy, and inspiration to audiences ranging from healthcare and business to education and community.

Topics for Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM

As long as my soul is free, I am free
Hardship
Persistence
Human rights
Disability
Medicine
Law
Scientific research
Innovation
Spinal cord injury
Diversity and inclusion
Resilience
Happiness
Wellness

Testimonials for Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM

Dinesh was highly engaging and had the audience deeply listening in the session. I had multiple team members compliment me on the quality of the speaker and his ability to engage. Dinesh was very easy to work with and very attentive on email.
Bega Group

Dinesh was fantastic from the time we booked until after our event concluded. He was easy to communicate with, extremely friendly and enthusiastic about our event. He stayed to chat with our employees and our guests, and he was extremely personable and relatable. His talk was engaging, hilarious, heartwarming and, above all, inspiring. I would recommend Dr Palipana to anyone holding an event and in need of a Keynote speaker, not just those in the Health Care or related industries. Thank you for topping off a great event!
Visualcare

Dr Palipana was extremely generous in how he shared his personal story. I had many people speak to me after the event to express their gratitude for bringing him to Maddocks to help launch our first disability inclusion network.
Maddocks

Dr. Dinesh was a very engaging speaker. His presentation was at times light-hearted, funny and witty, and at other times serious, sad and sometimes even dark. He took us through his life story - from Sri Lanka, to Sydney, Byron Bay and finally Brisbane - pre and post his accident. His presentation spoke to so many human challenges and, at the end, he invited us all to support each other as 'humans' and to not limit each other's potential. A quote that really stuck out was at the end, when he said: "We are (more) connected than we are separated … But the only thing necessary for us to descend into something bad, for us to become separated, is to do nothing when we see bad things happening. The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” Our staff described it as the "best" and "the most inspiring" presentation they had ever seen.
Gilchrist Connell

Dinesh is a wonderful human being and a terrific keynote speaker. He heard what we asked for and delivered in spades. His talk was warm, funny, engaging, inspiring, motivating and very helpful. Dinesh is extremely approachable and accommodating. He arrived well before the event (so no panic is the keynote going to be late) was happy to be photographed and chatted to participants afterwards. If there were more stars l would give them.
University of Wollongong

Excellent speaker with an exceptional ability to answer questions succinctly, but with an impactful amount of detail.
Australian Government Leadership Network (AGLN-Q) not for profit)

Dinesh Palipana connected with both audiences and adapted his talk to be made appropriate for each.
Boost Juice

Professional Conference Organiser

The team at ICMI offer a fantastic and professional service that allows us (event organisers) to focus on the delivery of our events

Corporate Client

I was very happy with the whole process from initial call through to performance, every question or detail was explained in a professional friendly manner. I will definitely be in touch with ICMI again.

Insurance Client

All ICMI staff I dealt with were exceptionally efficient, collaborative and responsive to ensuring our talent was informed.

Government Client

ICMI were flexible and accommodating, this year finding a speaker for your event that would work in a virtual setting was a challenge, but we ended up with a very successful event and the perfect speaker! Always patient and responsive to my calls or emails.

Corporate Client

Association Client

We were impacted by a COVID-19 outbreak in South Australia that threatened to de-rail our Northern Territory based event, but the ICMI logistics team made it happen when the window of opportunity arose.

NFP Client

ICMI listened to our needs and were very supportive with the change of plans with dealing with the pandemic. They gave great advice and helped us secure the right talent for our event.

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