Dr. Jenkins' research career started in Oxford, where she was part of the research team that developed the concept of slow release carbohydrate and the Glycemic Index. This launched her life-long interest in the nutritional treatment of type 2 diabetes. She obtained her BSc from the University of Toronto and completed a dietetic internship at St Michael's Hospital in 1984. Subsequently Dr. Jenkins obtained her PhD at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom. Currently, Dr. Jenkins' major research focus has been the potential role of diet and dietary supplements in the treatment of chronic diseases.

She has been an author or co-author on over 100 original publications in peer-reviewed journals, in addition to chapters and reviews. Dr. Jenkins has volunteered extensively for the Canadian Diabetes Association; she chaired the National Nutrition Committee and the Grants for Applied Research in Diabetes Education, Management and Care Committee and was an Associate Editor of the Canadian Journal of Diabetes. Dr. Jenkins received the Eli Lilly Graduate Scholarship Award in 2000, and in 2001 a Special Education Award from the CDA. Dr. Jenkins is a member of the Ontario College of Dietitians and the American Nutrition Society. Dr.

Jenkins is a sought-after lecturer on nutritional modification of cardiovascular risk factors and diabetes. Recent speaking engagements have included lectures to the Canadian Diabetes Association, St. Michael's Hospital, the Federation of Biological Sciences, and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, among others. In addition to her role as Director of Research at GI Labs, she is also a Senior Research Associate at the Risk Factor Modification Centre at St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, where her research focuses on investigating the potential utility of nutraceuticals and functional foods in the treatment of diabetes.