[1] Her 1998 MSc Selection bias and confounding associated with echocardiographic estimation of left ventricular mass[2] was followed in 2006 by a PhD titled The role of contemporary echocardiography in the management of heart failure at the University of Auckland.

[3] Whalley rose to full professorship at Unitec Institute of Technology,[4] moving to the University of Otago in 2018[5] while maintaining an honorary position at Auckland.

[6] Whalley has been funded by the New Zealand Health Council to study the differing effects of heart disease on Māori or Pacific peoples.

[10] Under the name "Gillian Whalley-Torckler", and often in conjunction with her husband, photographer Darryl Torckler, Whalley has written several books of fiction and non-fiction, for children and adults.

These include photo essays, creative non-fiction for children, guides to NZ marine fishes, SCUBA diving sites, and the rocky shore, and books of knitting patterns.