Professor Kickbusch established the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies in Geneva. In her current role, she advises countries on their global health strategies and trains health specialists and diplomats in global health diplomacy. She initiated the @wgh300 list of women leaders in global health.

She is co-chair of UHC 2030, and Council Chair to the World Health Summit in Berlin.  She was the director of the Global Health Division at Yale University School of Public Health and responsible for the first major Fulbright Programme on global health. She has recently been awarded the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesverdienstkreuz) in recognition of her "invaluable contributions to innovation in governance for global health and global health diplomacy".