“Leadership involves identifying and cultivating talent in other people so that individuals can leverage their strengths to come together as a cohesive team.”
Dr. Rebecca Gogel Kinney is a primary care doctor who now focuses on dismantling systemic barriers to health as a philanthropist and advocate. Working with patients from rural and underserved communities taught her something that isn’t always conveyed in medical school: wellbeing goes far beyond diagnosis and treatment.
“My patients taught me early on that healing involves addressing the social determinants of health, fighting stigma and injustice, and recognizing the dignity and humanity in all of us,” she shares. After years watching patients struggle to access the resources and care they needed to thrive, Rebecca made a pivotal shift from the clinic to global health philanthropy and advocacy. She now serves as Executive Director of The Beckon Foundation and is one of Global Health Corps’ newest Board Members.
Rebecca’s vision of leadership has never been about the spotlight. Over her career, she’s come to believe that some of the most effective leadership happens quietly — a steady hand behind the scenes, empowering others while holding responsibility for maintaining a positive, ethical culture. “Leadership involves identifying and cultivating talent in other people so that individuals can leverage their strengths to come together as a cohesive team,” she says. Vision and ambition matter, but not without compassion, humility, and above all, trust.
That trust extends inward, too. Self-doubt, Rebecca admits, has followed her throughout her career, leading her to second-guess decisions and pull back when she should have leaned in. Eventually, she realized that she needed to extend to herself the same compassion she gives to her patients and colleagues. “We are all going to make mistakes. What matters is having the right people around to catch you when you fall and to help you back up. When I build professional relationships now, I look for ethical, grounded colleagues who acknowledge achievement culture but prioritize moral character, collaboration, and humility,” she says. “And also a sense of humor.”
What keeps her going in this challenging work is a commitment to do right by her own children and children everywhere. “The systemic injustice around us causes so much poverty, disease, conflict and human suffering that it can be difficult to maintain forward momentum,” she acknowledges. “But what choice do we have? The children born today will inherit the world from us.”
For hope in even the darkest of times, Rebecca looks to the resilience of ordinary individuals meeting extraordinary challenges and embracing how interconnected we are: . “It seems that more people are paying attention to issues that transcend borders,” she says, “and I hope that can lead to a greater understanding that we truly are all in this together.”
She encourages the rising generation of health leaders to build networks, find allies, and work in partnership. “Global health can be overwhelming,” she says. “It is so much better to share the journey.”