معرفی
Hilary L Bekker is a Professor of Medical Decision Making at the Institute of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, and holds a dual affiliation with the Research Unit of Patient Involvement Interventions at Aarhus University, Denmark. She leads the Research Centre for Patient Involvement in Central Denmark Region. She has been at the University of Leeds since 2001 and was awarded a personal Chair in 2016.
Her educational background includes a BSc (1st Class) in Psychology (1990), MSc in Health Psychology (1994), and PhD in Decision Making and Prenatal Testing (1999). She is a Chartered Psychologist (BPS, 1999) and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2004).
Hilary’s research focuses on patient and professional healthcare decision-making, shared decision making, and the development of patient decision aids. She integrates methods from decision science, health psychology, and health services research to design and evaluate complex interventions that support informed, collaborative decisions. Her work emphasizes patient involvement, pragmatic research design, and alignment with clinical best practices.
Her most recent research outputs include patient decision aids for conditions such as multiple sclerosis, kidney disease, cancer fertility, and chronic diseases, as well as validated questionnaires like SHARED and OPTIQ. These works span digital tools, clinical guidelines, and implementation in primary and specialty care.
She has received recognition as a
- Chartered Psychologist (BPS, 1999)
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2004)
Hilary has supervised postgraduate researchers, including Janet Tonge, and has led major educational programs such as the MBChB curriculum at Leeds. She has secured research funding through collaborations and policy partnerships, and her leadership includes roles as Lead for Student Education (LIHS) and Head of Year 1 MBChB. She actively mentors students and leads interdisciplinary teams focused on patient-centered care innovation.
She leads the Research Centre for Patient Involvement, which collaborates with health professionals, patients, and methodologists to co-produce decision support tools and training resources, ensuring relevance and impact in real-world healthcare settings.
