Dr Rebecca Redmond
Meet Rebecca, a dedicated teaching academic at the National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine (NCNM) and PhD graduate in Public Health from the University of Technology, Sydney.
As a teaching academic, Rebecca focuses on teaching across three degrees at NCNM with a core focus on women’s health, reproductive health, and naturopathic philosophy.
Alongside teaching, Rebecca is a dedicated researcher in the field of women’s health and has a strong research interest in endometriosis and pregnancy loss. One of her most significant undertakings in her research career was her PhD, where she explored the clinical management of endometriosis in the Australian naturopathic profession.
Endometriosis is a debilitating condition affecting millions of women worldwide, yet conventional treatments often fall short in providing long-term relief or align with women’s care preferences and needs. This work laid the foundation for exploring naturopathic treatments' potential efficacy in managing endometriosis symptoms—a vital step towards providing more personalised and effective care for women suffering from this debilitating condition.
Rebecca aims to continue this research and further explore the role and value naturopaths play in endometriosis care and how the naturopathic profession could be utilised to support the multidisciplinary elements of endometriosis care in Australia.
“In the journey of womanhood, we encounter profound unmet healthcare needs amidst the challenges of endometriosis and pregnancy loss. It is imperative to acknowledge these gaps and overcome them for the benefit of improving women’s health outcomes.”
Improving Women’s Unmet Healthcare Needs in Pregnancy Loss
Rebecca's recent research focus has shifted to the broad field of pregnancy loss with a specific interest in women’s experiences and mental health and the need for compassionate care.
Together with her colleagues, Rebecca conducted a comprehensive Australian scoping review, that identified that women who experience pregnancy loss have little to no psychological follow-up despite the tragic loss and the negative health outcomes women experience, including grief and depression. Further, emerging evidence has indicated that this is a significant gap in healthcare services management that requires prompt attention. Women who do experience pregnancy loss are often left in silence, and if they conceive at a later time, perinatal anxiety and depression are known consequences of a lack of mental health support from the previous loss. Without mental health support, women can further experience negative mental health outcomes in their subsequent pregnancy, which may also impact bonding and attachment behaviours with their newborn.
As part of her research areas of interest, Rebecca aims to build a research program with her colleagues and hopefully leaders in the field of pregnancy loss to identify better healthcare service management for women who experience pregnancy loss and recurrent pregnancy loss.
Donate to the Centre to help us continue to support Rebecca's work to bridge the gap in prenatal health care and provide compassionate support for women experiencing pregnancy loss. Together, we can make a difference in women’s health outcomes.