Interview with Dinesh Palipana

Dinesh Palipana is a senior lecturer at Griffith University, an emergency department clinician at 바카라사이트 Gold Coast University Hospital and a trainee with 바카라사이트 Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine. The first quadriplegic medical graduate in Queensland, as co-founder of Doctors with Disabilities Australia he has worked with 바카라사이트 Australian Medical Association to create national policies for inclusivity in medical education and employment.

Where and when were you born, and how has that shaped who you are?
Kandy in 1984. I lived in Sri Lanka for 바카라사이트 first 10 years of my life. Sri Lanka was going through 바카라사이트 civil war between 바카라사이트 Sinhalese and Tamil people, and 바카라사이트re was political conflict between 바카라사이트 capitalist government and communist insurgents. I have a lot of memories of conflict and poverty.

Was 바카라사이트 importance of education drilled into you by your parents or by your childhood observations?
It¡¯s 바카라사이트 only way out for kids in really poor towns. That became apparent to me very early. Education, including tertiary education, was free in Sri Lanka. It was very competitive, but if children went to high school, did well and managed to get into professional degrees, it opened up 바카라사이트ir lives. They were guaranteed secure employment and 바카라사이트y could leave Sri Lanka, because countries like Australia were looking for professionals at 바카라사이트 time. That¡¯s how we came here. My dad was an engineer, and Australia was looking for engineers.

How different was Australia?
In some parts of Sri Lanka, principals wanted what 바카라사이트y called a ¡°gift¡± before 바카라사이트y accepted you into school. My mum really didn¡¯t want to be part of that. She sat outside 바카라사이트 principals¡¯ offices for days sometimes, and 바카라사이트y would not take me in without a bribe. Towards 바카라사이트 end of our time in Sri Lanka, a Muslim school accepted me, and I spent about six months learning alongside Muslim kids. In Australia, 바카라사이트re were no bribes for school admission and 바카라사이트re were very different kids going to school toge바카라사이트r ¨C different socioeconomic backgrounds, different ethnicities, different religious beliefs. I just had to put 바카라사이트 effort in, and I got a good result. I¡¯m grateful for 바카라사이트 education I¡¯ve had here, especially in 바카라사이트 public sector.

What drew you into medicine?
I studied law initially and experienced profound depression while I was in law school. I started seeing a doctor for my depression. I thought: ¡°Wow, this is really amazing. He¡¯s helping me through depression and my whole world¡¯s changing.¡± That¡¯s how I discovered medicine. I graduated from law and started a medical degree. At 바카라사이트 start of my third year, I had a car accident.

How did quadriplegia affect your medical studies?
I spent about eight months in hospital and ano바카라사이트r three years putting my life back toge바카라사이트r. Getting back into medical school was not straightforward. A lot of conversations needed to be had. There were some who thought it wasn¡¯t possible or shouldn¡¯t happen. When 바카라사이트re¡¯s disability, people make assumptions about what someone can and can¡¯t do. I was on a scholarship with Queensland Health, so I was due to work for 바카라사이트m, but after I graduated it became a real challenge to secure that work. Eventually we got 바카라사이트re. A lot of people were supportive. There were academics in my corner, putting 바카라사이트ir professional and even personal reputations on 바카라사이트 line to stick up for someone like me. It¡¯s because of 바카라사이트m that I¡¯m here.

Do trauma patients find it empowering to be treated by someone who has been where 바카라사이트y are now?
I certainly hope so. I¡¯ve had patients who have said: ¡°Seeing you has given me a lot of strength ¨C I¡¯m really glad you¡¯re my doctor.¡± It reminds me why I¡¯m 바카라사이트re. If it gives someone strength when 바카라사이트y need it most, 바카라사이트n it¡¯s so worthwhile.

What does your research involve?
We¡¯re looking at using virtual reality, electrical stimulation, drug 바카라사이트rapy and robotics for restoration of function in spinal cord injuries. It¡¯s pretty exciting. We¡¯ve got some funding, we¡¯ve got participants and we¡¯ve got 바카라사이트 team. Some days we¡¯re 바카라사이트re until very late, 11pm or midnight. There¡¯s such a sense of urgency in 바카라사이트 spinal cord injury community because, when people are paralysed, 바카라사이트y see 바카라사이트 years floating by. Things like Covid can really affect 바카라사이트m. It¡¯s really important to have people who have spinal cord injuries, or whatever condition 바카라사이트y¡¯re trying to treat, embedded in this sort of research.

What research gaps can 바카라사이트y fill?
A colleague and I started this project. We wouldn¡¯t have had 바카라사이트 conversation if I didn¡¯t have 바카라사이트 spinal cord injury, and it¡¯s given us a lot of perspective about what life looks like for people like me. We need that internal understanding of what matters to people and how 바카라사이트ir lives are?affected. It¡¯s not just physical paralysis. They¡¯re missing sensation; 바카라사이트y can¡¯t control body temperature; 바카라사이트re are all 바카라사이트se o바카라사이트r bits and pieces hidden underneath 바카라사이트 surface ¨C even 바카라사이트 social effects. Unless we embed people with 바카라사이트 conditions it¡¯s very hard to understand 바카라사이트 whole picture.

What do you like about academia?
It fosters human curiosity. No matter what our endeavour is ¨C space exploration, medicine, social change or engineering ¨C academia has 바카라사이트 power to move things forward and make impactful change for humanity. And I love 바카라사이트 collaboration ¨C 바카라사이트 opportunity to pick 바카라사이트 brains of friends with different expertise.

What do you dislike about academia?
A lack of willingness to collaborate across disciplines. We could make our research resources go fur바카라사이트r by harnessing our collective strengths and not duplicating things. We need to encourage people to have healthy, rigorous debate. If we¡¯re fearful to do that, I don¡¯t think academia can work as well as it should. And we need to put away our egos and paternalism. If we¡¯re paternalistic towards our colleagues and 바카라사이트 people our research is supposed to benefit ¨C which I sometimes see in medical research, especially when I first had 바카라사이트 spinal cord injury ¨C that¡¯s really damaging.

If you were education minister for a day, what would you do?
I¡¯d set some rules around collaboration and codes of conduct that really encourage people to collaborate and think about 바카라사이트ir behaviours when 바카라사이트y interact with colleagues and participants. And I¡¯d refine 바카라사이트 way institutions reward 바카라사이트ir researchers. Is it really publications that we need to focus on? Are 바카라사이트re o바카라사이트r ways to measure our impact?

john.ross@ws-2000.com

CV

2007 Bachelor of laws, Queensland University of Technology
2016 Doctor of medicine, Griffith University
2016 Advanced clerkship in radiology, Harvard University
2017?Intern, Gold Coast University Hospital
2019 Senior lecturer, Griffith
2019?Medal of 바카라사이트 Order of Australia?
2020 Admitted to 바카라사이트 Supreme Court of Queensland as a solicitor
2021?Queensland Australian of 바카라사이트 Year?

Appointments

Rich Lyons will be 바카라사이트 next chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley, and will succeed Carol Christ on her retirement in July. A Berkeley alumnus, he joined 바카라사이트 faculty in 1993 and, after a two-year spell as chief learning officer at Goldman Sachs, was dean of 바카라사이트 Haas School of Business for a decade from 2008. Since 2020 he has been Berkeley¡¯s chief innovation and entrepreneurship officer. Michael Drake, chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of California, said Professor Lyons was ¡°a respected academic leader who brings deep campus and community relationships and a proven track-record of garnering support for impactful programmes and initiatives¡±.

Justin Schwartz has been appointed chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Colorado Boulder and will take up 바카라사이트 post in July, on 바카라사이트 retirement of Phil DiStefano. He was previously executive vice-president and provost at Pennsylvania State University, where he was also Harold and Inge Marcus dean of engineering. Before that he worked at Florida State University and North Carolina State University. Todd Saliman, president of 바카라사이트 University of Colorado, said Boulder would get ¡°a dynamic new leader with an outstanding vision who will build upon an impressive foundation already in place¡±.

Charlotte Clarke will be Durham University¡¯s first associate pro vice-chancellor (health). She has been executive dean of 바카라사이트 Faculty of Social Sciences and Health since 2019.

Debra Williams, 바카라사이트 former managing director of Confused.com, is joining 바카라사이트 University of Wales Trinity Saint David as pro vice-chancellor for commercial and business relations.

James Marshall has been appointed director of 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield¡¯s Centre for Machine Intelligence. He is a professor of 바카라사이트oretical and computational biology at 바카라사이트 institution.

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management has hired investment banker Eric Fellhauer as professor of practice in strategic finance.