DR DINESH PALIPANA IN CONVERSATION WITH CHILDHOOD FRIEND, BRYDIE BILIC
Proudly presented by Spinal Life Australia and Cairns Tropical Writers’ Festival, our lunchtime event on Saturday 25 February is destined to inspire you.
Dinesh Palipana OAM is a doctor, lawyer, disability advocate, and researcher. In 2007, he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from QUT, and focussed on his next goal – medicine.
In 2010, three years into his medical degree at Griffith Uni, Dinesh survived an horrific car crash, which left him a quadriplegic. During his eight months in the hospital, he experienced the hospital system from the patient’s side.
Dinesh returned to his studies in 2015, and in 2016, graduated with a Doctor of Medicine. That year, he also completed an Advanced Clerkship in Radiology at Harvard University, where he finished with Distinction with Honours.
Dinesh was Queensland’s first quadriplegic medical intern and the second person in Australia to graduate medical school with quadriplegia and continues to contribute significantly to scientific advances in treating spinal cord injury and restoring function to people with paralysis.
In 2019, Dinesh was awarded an Order of Australia Medal and that same year was the third Australian to receive a Henry Viscardi Achievement Award in New York. In 2021, he was named Queensland Australian of the Year.
Dr. Dinesh Palipana OAM is a senior resident doctor at Gold Coast University Hospital. As co-founder of Doctors With Disabilities Australia, Dinesh has worked with the Australian Medical Association to create first-of-kind national policies for inclusivity in medical education and employment. Hi is the doctor for the Gold Coast Titans physical disability rugby league team, and is a member of multiple committees for disability advocacy.
He has been a keynote speaker in world-renowned forums including TEDx, and throughout the pandemic, advocated for equitable treatment for people with disabilities, including as a witness to the Disability Royal Commission.
Dinesh recently published a memoir: ‘Stronger – How Losing Everything Set Me Free’. This powerful keynote presentation will take you on his journey and share with you how – despite all of the pain and hardship he’s faced – he now sees his accident as a turning point for the better in his life.
THIS IS A SEPARATELY TICKETED EVENT, WHICH IS NOT INCLUDED IN DAY PASS OR WEEKEND PASS TICKETS.
DATE – Saturday 25 February
TIME – 12pm – 2pm
LOCATION – Pullman Cairns International
TICKETS – $95 pp including 2-course lunch
