Dr Lybus Chester Hillman graduated with an honours degree in physiology in 1969 and medicine in 1973 at the University of Western Australia. Commenced her intern training at the Royal Canberra Hospital, continued her internship and residency at the Evangelisches Krankenhaus, Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Germany.

In 1976, she began her physician training at the Royal Canberra Hospital and Woden Valley Hospital with specialisation in gastroenterology and was admitted as Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 1981. She spent three years as a Lecturer in Medicine at the Wellington Clinical School, University of Otago, whilst carrying out research on fibre for her MD, which was awarded in 1984.

Dr Hillman has been in practice with gastrotrACT as a specialist gastroenterologist since 1983. Her special interests are nutrition and eating disorders as well as collagenous colitis and oesophageal disorders. She provides the only oesophageal manometry and pH monitoring service in Canberra. Appointed to the Medical Board of the Australian Capital Territory in 1994 Dr Hillman has been the vice-chair of the Board and chair of the Professional Standards committee. In 1999, she was appointed a clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney and now the Australian National University Medical School.