At Global Health Corps (GHC), we believe that leadership is one of the most powerful levers for change in global health. Which is why we’re thrilled to announce our new Board Chair: Julie Bernstein. Julie is a lifelong champion of fairness and justice, and a leader whose career has been shaped by courage, compassion, and an unwavering belief in the potential of others.
Julie is no stranger to the GHC community. She first connected with GHC during her tenure at the Gates Foundation, where she helped fund our work. She later joined our Board of Directors, serving as Chair of the Nominating Committee from 2020-2025. Today, she brings that same passion, experience, and commitment to her new role as Board Chair, helping guide GHC into its next chapter of impact.
A lifelong commitment to justice and health
Julie’s journey toward global health leadership started long before her professional career. As a kid, she was the one who spoke up when something wasn’t fair, whether on the playground, in the classroom, or on the softball field. Sometimes it got her into ‘good trouble’, and it also planted the seed of what would become a lifelong calling.
That calling deepened during her Peace Corps service in rural Papua New Guinea. Julie co-launched an HIV education program for high school teachers at a time when awareness of HIV/AIDS hadn’t reached the island and understanding of germ theory was very limited. She also became a trusted source of sexual health knowledge for students, providing accurate, life-saving information that wasn’t otherwise available.
“I saw firsthand how my small efforts could raise awareness and possibly save a life. That felt powerful and purposeful.” Julie reflects. The experience shaped her career, grounding her in the truth that health equity requires both access to care and courageous leadership.
Leadership as courage and compassion
Ask Julie what leadership means to her, and you’ll hear words that go beyond the traditional playbook: courage, clarity, curiosity, compassion, consistency, and vulnerability. Julie lives by the words: “Confidently step into the unknown, it’s where the magic happens.” It’s advice she’s taken to heart throughout her journey.
To her, leadership is about showing up as your authentic self, creating shared goals through open dialogue, and having the courage to step outside your comfort zone. It’s also about appreciating and leveraging talent, asking for help, listening deeply, and taking smart risks.
Her philosophy was shaped in part by the decade she spent at the Gates Foundation, where she led advocacy and communications teams and worked with extraordinary leaders. And it also comes from her most recent chapter as a Leadership Coach, where she helps leaders and teams step into their full potential and increase their impact.
“Feedback is a gift,” she says. “It’s an opportunity for growth and improvement and something most of us don’t receive often enough.”
Why GHC?
For Julie, GHC embodies the idea that how we lead is just as important as what we do. She recalls visiting a vaccine clinic in New Delhi, where community health workers carefully answered parents’ questions before administering life-saving immunizations to children.
“How you lead a vaccine campaign matters. It can literally save a child’s life. GHC gets this: leadership is a powerful lever for change, for building trust, for improving health.” That alignment between leadership and health impact is why Julie has remained connected to GHC for more than a decade, and why she’s so energized to step into her new role as Board Chair.
Looking ahead
What gives Julie hope for the future of global health? Community health workers; the women and men who help families survive and thrive, and everyone working to strengthen systems and fight injustices. What keeps her motivated? A belief that there’s always more to learn, more to do, and more to give.
And her message for rising health leaders? Pay it forward. Share your knowledge, your leadership training, your mentorship. “Your impact multiplies when you invest in others.”
We’re beyond excited to learn and grow with Julie at the helm of GHC’s Board of Directors at this pivotal moment for global and public health. Together, we’ll continue to grow a global movement of leaders who believe that health equity is possible and who are bold enough to make it real.