When former pediatrician Helene D. Gayle joined CARE she became not only the first woman to lead the organization, but also the first person of color. Dr. Gayle joined CARE USA as president and CEO in 2006. “Before coming to CARE, I worked at the CDC [Centers for Disease Control] for twenty years and then the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Dr. Gayle has an abundance of empathy for the people she is fortunate enough to serve. Her inspiration is the people whom she gets the privilege to meet, people in whose lives she and the people of CARE make a difference.
“I am encouraged when I see what a two dollar loan can do to change a life. It brings me joy when a family gets access to clean and safe drinking water ”
Dr. Gayle also loves going into schools and asking children what they want to be when they grow up and seeing them have dreams for very different futures than their parents.
The most important thing you can do to achieve your goal, she says, is to stay true to your passion and be persistent.
Congratulations, Dr. Gayle, for being a “BlackDoctor.org Top Blacks in Healthcare” 2014 honoree!