She teaches classes in geographic information systems (GIS), research, and statistics in city planning, social work, public health, and urban studies. Dr. Hillier studies geographic disparities. Her research applies geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial analysis methods to housing and health topics. Specifically, she has studied historical mortgage redlining, affordable housing, housing abandonment, and childhood obesity. Dr. Hillier is a Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics and Center for Public Health Initiatives.