Rebekah Varela

Rebekah Varela is an accomplished executive with extensive experience in leadership roles within prominent organizations focusing on healthcare and humanitarian efforts. Currently serving as Chief Operating Officer at Planned Parenthood Federation of America since February 2025, Varela previously held the same title at Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières - USA from November 2020 to February 2025, overseeing strategic planning and internal operations for a major organization supporting medical humanitarian action. Notably, Varela was the inaugural Managing Director of the UCSF Center for Tuberculosis, responsible for its strategic development and operational framework. Additional experience includes serving as Country Director for MSF France in Georgia and roles in administration and public health planning with the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Varela holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Global Health from The University of Manchester.