Dr Gillespie is the Director of the Secretariat of the Secretary General's Study on Violence Against Children. The Study was commissioned by the United Nations Secretary General to investigate the situation of children globally and to make recommendations on prevention, intervention and recovery strategies. Dr Gillespie is based in Geneva , Switzerland , and works closely with the Independent Expert, Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro , who was appointed by the Secretary General to lead the Study. The Report of the Study will be submitted to the Secretary General and the United Nations General Assembly in 2006.
Prior to this appointment  Dr Gillespie  worked with UNICEF  and other UN agencies particularly in East Asia and the Pacific but also managed global responsibilities when based in New York . She

managed the global HIV/AIDS program for UNICEF, and also worked in the area of young people's health promotion, and specifically on HIV/AIDS and education.  Dr Gillespie has  focused on the linkages among issues such as HIV/AIDS education, drug education, bullying and violence prevention, in health promotion programs for young people.

Dr Gillespie has a PhD in school and community health promotion and counseling psychology from University of Oregon , and an MSc. in health promotion. She also has a degree in education. She has been involved in extensive applied research into adolescent health promotion, especially when she was the Director of Health Promotion at the Cancer Prevention and Health Promotion Research Centre, at the University of Queensland , Medical School ,  Australia  until 1995. She has worked with Ministries of Education and Health, and has been a teacher in schools and at University level in Australia and USA .  She is Australian and has lived overseas for more than 10 years.