Building Resilient Leaders: An Hour with Professor Agnes Binagwaho
To know of Rwanda’s painful history is to also know of its resilience. It makes sense, then, that Global Health Corps (GHC), with one of our core values of sustainable resilience, chose to feature Rwanda’s former Minister of Health, Professor and Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, as a keynote speaker to showcase a successful example of building sustainable and resilient health systems to our newest cohort of fellows. As usual, Dr. Agnes did not disappoint as she shared her insights on building a resilient, equitable health system that centers on society’s most marginalized people.
As the former Minister of Health for Rwanda, Dr. Agnes played an active role in rebuilding Rwanda’s health systems back stronger following the unimaginable devastation and loss in 1994. In her current role as the Vice-Chancellor at the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda, she continues that work through the development of leaders. At the core of her career has been equity: equity of gender, equity of geographic location, and equity of socioeconomic status.
What Do Health Systems Need?
Sustainability and resiliency go hand-in-hand when addressing our world’s most pressing inequities. At the start of her speech, Dr. Agnes answered the question of what health systems need:
“To ensure health for all and to break the cycle of poverty and disease, health leaders need to address the social determinants of health that promote disease and understand the importance of implementing inclusive strategies, building solidarity, implementing pro-vulnerable, pro-marginalized, and pro-poor, equitable policies and actions based on scientific evidence and sustainability, and cultivate social capital.”
Systems cannot remain sustainable without continued, intentional efforts by leaders working within and across them. To our newest group of fellows, Dr. Agnes shared key qualities that leaders must cultivate to create sustainable and resilient systems that are equitable. While the details of Rwanda’s work are quite insightful, it was the overarching themes of its journey that Dr. Agnes wished to impart on rising health equity leaders.
Leadership must be equity-minded
It is crucial that equity be at the center of any leader’s motivation. Dr. Agnes shared the approach that Rwandan leaders took to ensure systems were being built with rural communities (which make up the majority of Rwanda’s population), women, and those living with disabilities in mind. With intentional efforts, Rwanda’s government has assembled a parliament that is 61% women and a ministry comprised of 52% women.
Rwanda has proven that improving gender equity within leadership is linked to better health outcomes. Women in leadership often expand agendas to give more attention to issues that disproportionately affect women, like sexual and reproductive health. Because women are historically marginalized, elevating more women to leadership in the health space has resulted in an increased focus on vulnerable communities.
Dr. Agnes emphasized throughout her speech that addressing social determinants of health through a lens of equity (i.e. gender, socioeconomic status, disability, structural violence) inherently disrupts the cycle of disparities in health outcomes.
Leaders are accountable to those they lead, not the other way around
Trust is a crucial component that leaders must take into consideration to lead effectively. Dr. Agnes shared with the fellows that the most effective leaders are those who remember that they’re accountable to the people they lead. With a responsibility to protect the rights and care of the people, leaders must earn the trust of their constituents in order to achieve greater access to health services, favorable health outcomes, reduced mortality, and improved life expectancy.
According to Dr. Agnes, this requires consistency in communication at all levels, both political and technical. It means compliance with government guidelines. It means removing personal biases and making decisions based on evidence, not purely opinions. It means proving oneself to the people they’re beholden to and remaining true to the essence of the work to ensure no one is left behind.
Leaders need to be humble and curious
With the world ever-changing, Dr. Agnes indicated that the leaders who are most successful are those who remain humble and curious. There is no room for ego in equity, and it is crucial that leaders remain committed to their personal growth so that they can best serve those they represent. This means adapting one’s decisions once new information is introduced and investing in research capacity to ensure information remains up-to-date.
It also means that leaders must understand their weaknesses and be willing to accept and act on constructive criticism moving forward. Leaders know how to leverage their strengths to address their weaknesses. Additionally, it is crucial that leaders work collaboratively with others. By doing so, success can be sustained and a trajectory of progress and innovation can continue.
“It is not the job of leaders to copy what others have done, but to extract out of them the principle that they can apply to their own population to improve it.”
Moving Forward
As her speech came to a close, Dr. Agnes shared that: “It is not the job of leaders to copy what others have done, but to extract out of them the principle that they can apply to their own population to improve it.”
She implored the fellows to learn from each other, share factual data and research, and find community in the progress being made by such young and capable minds. As rising leaders in global health, she encouraged them to stay rooted in scientific evidence when building and rebuilding systems. Lastly, she asked that they turn their backs on the polluted culture of supremacy and rethink the world with zero tolerance for supremacy. It bears repeating: there’s no room for ego in equity.
Creating resilient and sustainable systems requires developing leaders who embody sustainable resilience. That is exactly what each of our fellows are setting out to do as they embark on their fellowship year.
Bailey Borchardt is a graduate of City College of New York’s Colin Powell School of Civic and Global Leadership, Communications Associate at Global Health Corps, and a resident of New York City.
Global Health Corps (GHC) is a leadership development organization building the next generation of health equity leaders around the world. All GHC fellows, partners, and supporters are united in a common belief: health is a human right. There is a role for everyone in the movement for health equity. To learn more, visit our website and connect with us on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook.
