Associate Professor James Gillespie is an expert in health policy at the Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney. Educated in history and political science at the Universities of Melbourne and Cambridge, he holds a PhD from Cambridge. He joined the University of Sydney in 2005 as Associate Professor and has served as Deputy Director of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy since 2006. Gillespie founded the Master of Health Policy program in the Sydney School of Public Health. He also holds an Honorary Associate Professor position in Health Policy and is affiliated with the Leeder Centre for Health Policy, Economics and Data, as well as the Mental Health Policy Unit at the University of Canberra.

Gillespie's research specializations encompass Australian and global health policy, the challenges health systems face from the evolving burden of chronic illness, integration of health and social care, and strengthening ties between public health research and policymakers. His key publications include the books Making Medicare: The Politics of Universal Health Care in Australia, co-authored with Anne-marie Boxall (NewSouth Books, 2013), and The Price of Health: Australian Governments and Medical Politics (Cambridge University Press, 1991, reprinted 2000). Other significant works feature articles on data sharing in health and social care in Australia (2026), funding models in health and social care services for culturally and linguistically diverse populations in Sydney (2026), public perceptions of the Australian health system during COVID-19 (2024), and healthcare engagement among Australians with chronic conditions (2022). With 3,439 citations across 118 publications, his scholarship exerts considerable influence in health policy. Gillespie serves as Chief Investigator in an NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on health and social care integration and has delivered public lectures on health policy topics including COVID-19 vaccines and Medicare politics.

Professional Email: james.gillespie@sydney.edu.au