[6] She eventually became the chief of family planning and contraceptive research and head of the program in gynecology for children, adolescents, and young women at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
In this role, her research team followed African American teenage mothers to see how their education, housing, exercise, weight gain, emotional state, and relationships influence their risk of a repeat pregnancy.
[7] Gilliam's research covers adolescent health and education, domestically and internationally, through methods including narrative, technology, and design.
[8] As a result of her research, Gilliam was named a Faculty Fellow of the Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence for the 2013–14 academic year.
"[13] In 2016, Gilliam was appointed as the University of Chicago's Vice Provost for Academic Leadership, Advancement, and Diversity and was named as the Ellen H. Block Professor in Health and Justice.