Consumer involvement

The LEAPP Consumers Panel is made up of people from different backgrounds from around Australia with recent lived experience of pregnancy and the postnatal period.

Their focus is on:

• advising what different topics the guideline should cover and the specific questions it should answer
• providing feedback on draft recommendations about specific treatments/care
• discussing what people from different backgrounds might value or consider important when making healthcare decisions during or after pregnancy
• offering advice about how and where the guideline should be shared.

The Consumer Panel reviews our draft recommendations before any other Panels. Our four Co-Chairs and Deputy Co-Chairs are also members of the Pregnancy Panel, Postnatal Panel and Guideline Leadership Group, to ensure a strong ‘patient voice’ throughout. The Steering Group includes an organisational consumer member, Maternity Consumer Network.

Our Consumer Panel members are:

• Kristyn Begnell (Co-chair)
• Ahlia Griffiths (Co-chair)
• Emma Preece Boyd (Deputy Co-chair)
• Melanie McKenzie (Deputy Co-chair)
• Grace Beaver
• Nakia Watters
• Sara White
• Dimitra Papavassiliou
• Emily Condon
• Jemma Manwaring
• Natalie Merida
• Lisa-Marie Gallwey
• Ishita Akhter
• Eden Malama
• Smruthy Nair
• Emily Robinson

Our Consumer Advisory and Working Group members are:

• Toni Arfaras
• Brian Beh
• Vanessa Cullen
• Jessica D’Lima
• Tony Finneran
• David Fry
• Michelle King
• Al Meredith
• Joanne Muller
• Sophie Noble
• Adrian O’Malley

• Consumer Panel Terms of Reference
• Consumer Advisory and Working Group Terms of Reference