Our Team

Our research team, including lived experience and clinician researchers, including leading Australian experts on preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum care. We acknowledge that our Lived Experience Expert Group and larger bodied participants face ongoing stigma and discrimination due to body size, which may lead to feelings of grief/distress. For help and support on this, please reach out to any member of our team or talk to your trusted health care professional. 

Academic Team

Dr Bec Jenkinson

Bec is a mum of three teenagers (well, two teenagers and one almost), and a passionate advocate for respectful maternity care. After three transformative births, Bec left her career as a high school teacher and devoted the next decade to volunteer maternity consumer representation. More recently, she made the switch being a researcher, and completed her PhD in 2018. Bec is interested in all aspects of women's experiences of maternity care, and as a larger bodied woman, she is proud to be leading the RADIANT study!

 

 

 

 

Prof Leonie Callaway

Leonie is a mother of three young adults (big kids). She completed her training as a general and obstetric physician in 2003 and completed writing her PhD two days before the birth of her youngest child in 2007. In retrospect some of this might be regarded as crazy! Leonie has always been interested in research in medical disorders of pregnancy including gestational diabetes. At present, she leads the Women, Children and Families Stream for Metro North Hospital and Health Service District and is Director of Research in Women’s and Newborn Services at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. She is delighted to provide medical leadership for the RADIANT study. Leonie provides clinical care to many women with larger bodies before, during and after pregnancy, and is grateful for all she has learnt from the women she has cared for. Leonie tries to practice what she preaches about healthy eating, healthy movement, body acceptance, sleep, screen time and mindfulness - and she completely gets the struggle!

 

 

Assoc Prof Lauren Kearney

Lauren is a midwife, nurse and mother of three little humans. She mainly works in maternal health research, working to improve the way we care for women, newborns and their families. Lauren is passionate about improving the experience of health care for women and children through translation of high-quality evidence into practice, and she is especially interested in care during labour and birth. Currently, Lauren is a Conjoint Associate Professor of Midwifery at Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and the Unviersity of Queensland's School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work. Lauren is the midwifery lead on the RADIANT study. 

 

 

 

Dr Briony Hill

Briony is an academic and mum of three young boys. Consequently, life is pretty hectic most of the time! Briony is passionate about eliminating weight stigma by tackling the issue from policy, society and community levels so we can reduce the burden and blame on mums. Briony's research focuses on women across the reproductive years (e.g., preconception, pregnancy, postpartum) where, in addition to addressing weight stigma, she has an interest in the link between health behaviours and psychological and social wellbeing. Briony is currently an ARC DECRA Fellow and Senior Research Fellow in the Health and Social Care Unit at Monash University and is the weight stigma academic lead for RADIANT.

 

 

 

Dr Jen Hocking

Jen is mum to two adult children. She worked as a midwife for 20 years – across all aspects of pregnancy, labour and postnatal care at The Women’s in Melbourne. Jen completed her PhD in 2020 which was a study of Lactation Consultant practice. Jen's study led her to consider the nature of care in relation to both breastfeeding support and midwifery care more generally. Jen was a midwifery lecturer at the Australian Catholic University for 5+ years and has recently moved into a professional engagement role with the Australian Breastfeeding Association. She is looking forward to promoting ABA's resources and support services to health professionals who can use them to help women meet their breastfeeding goals.  

 

 

 

 

Assoc Prof Jacqui Boyle

Jacqui is an obstetrician and gynaecologist at Monash Health, and a researcher at Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation. She's interested in research which improves women's health across their lives, with a strong focus on access, equity and health literacy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lived Experience Expert Group

Ms Ahlia Griffiths

Ahlia excitedly joins the RADIANT team. Ahlia has a two, five and nineteen year old at home and brings a passion for advocacy and inclusivity. She is actively involved in materntiy consumer representation at the State and National level, and was inspired to be a part of a project because it acts as a place holder for change, respect and support. Ahlia is also passionate about the need to ensure voices of First Nations families are championed and all aspects of community are recognized and held space for.

 

 

 

 

Ms Tanya Cawthorne

Tanya is a Past President of Lamaze International and the co-founder of Lamaze Australia. She is a Lamaze childbirth educator, a program director and birth doula. Based in Melbourne, Tanya is a passionate advocate for equitable and person-centered maternity care and her articles have appeared in The Journal of Perinatal Education, Australian Midwifery News, Connecting the Dots, Interaction – the journal of Childbirth and Parenting Educators Association of Australia (CAPEA) and International Doula (DONA International). She is also currently completing her masters degree in Women's & Children's Health at the University of Technology Sydney. Last, but absolutely not least, she is also the mother of two pretty fabulous teenagers.

 

 

 

 

 

Ms Renee Tome

Renee is a mum of two small children with big personalities. Her desire to connect with others in the larger bodied community via shared experiences of pregnancy and birth during COVID lockdown grew into a passion for promoting self-advocacy in fertility and maternity care settings, and led her to join the Body Positive Birth Alliance. With lived experience as a larger bodied woman, Renee is particularly invested in bringing awareness to the impact of weight stigma on perinatal mental health, one of the many avenues she is excited to explore and drive change in as a consumer investigator in the RADIANT study.

 

 

 

Ms Laura Hewett 

Laura is a mum of a kinder kid and a passionate advocate for improving consumer experiences and outcomes across the spectrum of maternity care. She volunteers for the Australasian Birth Trauma Association (ABTA), supporting advocacy, peer support and development of website content. Laura has a background as a physiotherapist and now works in project and policy roles which focus on improving quality and safety in healthcare. With lived experience of being a larger bodied woman, she is excited to be a consumer investigator on the RADIANT study.

 

 

 

Ms Tina Siale 

Tina is a homeschooling (multi-tasking) mother of five precious children, eight years and under. She is passionate about empowering women in maternity care, having fought hard to achieve a natural birth for each of her children through the public health system. Tina has lived experience as a larger-bodied woman, lives in rural Queensland and represents the voices of the Pacific Island communities. It is with much joy that she joins the RADIANT team.

 

 

 

 

Ms Kayla Barrow 

Kayla is a mother of two young children and works as the head of English at a high school in Melbourne. She volunteers her time running playgroups for other LGBTQIA+ families with young children and enjoys supporting new parents with their transition into parenthood. Kayla is passionate about birth education and improving experiences for all birthing people regardless of their race, gender, sexuality, or body size. She is looking forward to making change as a lived experience expert in the RADIANT study.