Rebecca Barnes

Rebecca Barnes is an Associate Professor and NIHR Fellow at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford. With over 90 peer-reviewed publications, she is an internationally recognized expert in conversation analysis (CA) applied to primary care communication. Her research spans 20 years across Medical Schools at Plymouth, Exeter, and Bristol before joining Oxford in 2020. She also holds an honorary appointment as a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol.

• Education: BSc (Hons), PgDip., PhD

Her research focuses on addressing professional/practical problems in primary care through CA methods. Current projects include PRIMA (NIHR-funded), OSCAR (pharmacist-led medication reviews), and SHIP (hypertension self-management). She also leads research on touch/affect in healthcare interactions funded by the Academy of Finland.

Recent publications highlight trends in antimicrobial risk communication, structured medication reviews, and patient safety in out-of-hours care. Key projects like the NIHR SPCR Bristol Archive have created reusable datasets of primary care consultations.

• Scientific Awards: NIHR Fellow; Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol

Rebecca actively mentors pre-doctoral fellowship candidates, DPhil students, and NIHR Fellows interested in CA methods. She contributes to teaching via Oxford Qualitative Courses and co-founded the International Society for Conversation Analysis (ISCA) clinical encounter meetings.