Overview
Background
Bec Jenkinson is health consumer advocate-turned-researcher, with more than 15 years’ experience as a leader in the Australian health consumer movement, advocating for high quality, respectful, person-centred care. She is also skilled qualitative and mixed methods researcher, writer, presenter and networker with a passion for consumer and community involvement in health and medical research, and broad experience encompassing health policy, service delivery and evaluation, and education. Bec's PhD investigated the experiences of women, midwives and obstetricians when pregnant women decline recommended care. She went on to co-lead the development and implementation of Queensland Health's Guideline: Partnering with the woman who declines recommended maternity care. More recently, Bec has been the academic lead of the RADIANT study, alongside a Lived Experience Lead. Aiming to addressing weight stigma in maternity care, RADIANT was recognised with two awards at the inaugural AccessCR Australian Consumer Partnerships in Research Awards in 2025. The study coproduce national, consensus-based Best Practice Principles for Weight Inclusive Maternity Care, which have now been endorsed by peak stakeholder organisations.
Bec is now a Senior Research Fellow with UQ's Clinical Trials Capability Team (ULTRA), working collaboratively with researchers, consumers and other stakeholders to enhance consumer and community involvement (CCI) in clinical trial designs and processes. She is particularly interested in the methodologies of research priority setting, and currently leads a pilot study aiming to expand Australian researchers access to James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnerships. Bec is also interested in how innovative approaches can support more inclusive CCI, and drive health equity in clinical trials.
Availability
- Dr Bec Jenkinson is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours) of Education, Central Queensland University
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research interests
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Consumer and Community Involvement in Clinical Trials
There is good evidence that involving people with lived experience in the design and conduct of clinical trials can improve recruitment. But challenges remain about how to support people from diverse communities to contribute to CCI, how CCI might support participant retention (not just recruitment), and how innovative approaches to CCI can drive sustainability and impact.
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Research Priority Setting
Australia invests heavily in health and medical research, yet historically decisions about what to research have been made by researchers, and with little input from people with lived experience of health issues and the clinicians who care for them. This has contributed to significant and avoidable research waste. Rigorous participatory approaches to research priority setting, that embed authentic collaboration with research end users (consumers and clinicians), are gaining increasingly attention in Australia, however, reviews have identified inconsistent approaches to involving end users, and called for greater transparency and reproducibility.
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Health Equity in Clinical Trials
Achieving health equity requires that everyone has access to evidence-based healthcare, with randomised controlled trials (RCTs) recognised as gold standard evidence of the effectiveness of innovative healthcare interventions. However, many RCTs fail to recruit diverse participants, meaning that the evidence informing healthcare omits the experiences and outcomes of diverse people and their communities. Although CCI increases the alignment of research with community needs, leading to improved recruitment to RCTs, people from diverse communities are generally underrepresented amongst CCI contributors. Improving the recruitment of diverse communities to RCTs may depend on improving their representation in CCI roles. Innovative strategies to increase the involvement of diverse communities in health and medical research are urgently needed.
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Weight stigma in maternity care
Weight stigma refers to negative attitudes, assumptions, and discriminatory behaviours directed toward people based on their body size, and it can profoundly shape experiences of maternity care. In pregnancy, weight‑based judgement or blame can undermine trust, contribute to avoidance of care, and exacerbate health inequities. Weight‑inclusive approaches prioritise respect, evidence‑informed practice, and recognition of the many factors that influence health beyond body size. These approaches are essential for creating maternity care environments where all women feel safe, valued, and able to participate fully in decisions about their care.
Works
Search Professor Bec Jenkinson’s works on UQ eSpace
2014
Journal Article
Effect of a maternity consumer representative training program on participants' confidence and engagement
Jenkinson, Bec M., Smethurst, Joanne, Boorman, Rhonda and Creedy, Debra K. (2014). Effect of a maternity consumer representative training program on participants' confidence and engagement. Australian Health Review, 38 (3), 306-311. doi: 10.1071/AH13183
2013
Journal Article
Maternity care providers' perceptions of women's autonomy and the law
Kruske, Sue, Young, Kate, Jenkinson, Bec and Catchlove, Ann (2013). Maternity care providers' perceptions of women's autonomy and the law. Bmc Pregnancy and Childbirth, 13 (1) 84, 84. doi: 10.1186/1471-2393-13-84
2013
Conference Publication
Maternity care providers’ perceptions of women’s autonomy and the law
Kruske, S, Young, K, Jenkinson, B and Catchlove, A (2013). Maternity care providers’ perceptions of women’s autonomy and the law. Australian Association of Bioethics and Health Law Conference: Pivotal Moments/Future Horizons - Continuity and Change in Australian Bioethics, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 11 - 14 July 2013.
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Bec Jenkinson is:
- Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
ConsumeR involvEment for parTicipAnt retentIon incliNical trials (RETAIN)
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nadine Foster
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Doctor Philosophy
Postpartum midwifery care for larger bodied women: a mixed methods study
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Lauren Kearney
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Doctor Philosophy
Understanding and incorporating the consumer voice in paediatric intensive care research
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sainath Raman, Professor Kristen Gibbons
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Bec Jenkinson directly for media enquiries about:
- health consumer perspectives
- respectful maternity care
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