Whiteside started his career as a freelance journalist and teacher in Mbabane, Swaziland, before joining the Botswana Ministry of Finance and Development Planning as an Overseas Development Institute Fellow and a planning officer/economist in 1980. He was a research fellow, senior research fellow and associate professor at the Economic Research Unit at the University of Natal, from 1983 to 1997. Whiteside was an associate and director for Capricorn Africa Economic Associates, in Mbabane, Swaziland, between 1988 and 1998. In 1998 he founded the Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division Whiteside has written many peer-reviewed articles, and has authored several books and numerous papers relating to HIV and AIDS. Of particular importance was his 2003 paper, (with fellow academic
Alex de Waal), ‘New variant famine: AIDS and the food crisis in southern Africa’, in The Lancet. Among his books are the popular ‘AIDS the Challenge for South Africa’ (with
Clem Sunter, 2000), and influential academic volumes such as ‘HIV/AIDS: A Very Short Introduction’, (
Oxford University Press, 2008), and 'AIDS in the Twenty-First Century: Disease and Globalization' (with Tony Barnett, 2006). Whiteside's work has encompassed lecturing, mentorship, training and frequently speaking to the media. He developed the successful ‘Planning for HIV/AIDS’ training workshop for the Overseas Development Group at the University of East Anglia. He continues to mentor and supervise many students, academics and researchers in the field. He has worked with many international donors philanthropies and the corporate sector. Whiteside was appointed
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to science and strategic interventions to curb HIV/AIDS. ==Public and professional service==