About the Event

HLA Community Weekend – Berlin, March 2026

Join us in Berlin this March for the first International HLA Community Weekend of 2026!

Set against the backdrop of one of Europe’s most dynamic cities, this in-person weekend will focus on the theme of Global Health—exploring critical health challenges, innovative solutions, and diverse perspectives from across the world.

Open to all members of the HLA community, the weekend offers:

  • Interactive workshops, including sessions led by Dr Johann Malawana (Managing Director of the HLA) and Dr Hareen De Silva (Head of Health Department at CADUS e.V.)

  • A networking reception on Saturday evening with drinks and snacks, followed by a dinner open to anyone interested in the HLA

  • Opportunities to connect deeply with peers and build relationships beyond the HLA network

  • Time to discover Berlin’s culture, history, and energy in great company

Spaces are limited—reserve your place and be part of an unforgettable weekend of learning, connection, and inspiration.

Instructors

Dr Hareen De Silva

Hareen is a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). In his GP career he was the national wellbeing lead for early career GPs, then becoming the youngest faculty Chair in the history of the RCGP.

He moved onto becoming an expedition medic, travelling to Dominica, Costa Rica, Gough Island on a conservation project with the Royal Society for Protection of Birds and then Midway Atoll for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. In between expeditions, Hareen has deployed as a clinician, medical coordinator and Head of Mission on humanitarian medical projects after gaining his Master’s in Public Health. He has deployed to Greece, Syria, Iraq, Ukraine and Gaza. He is now the Health Director of a WHO Emergency Medical Team based in Berlin, CADUS e.V.

He has an interest in health inequalities and is a trustee for the UK medical educational charity Fairhealth. He received a British Empire Medal in 2020 for his GP work during the COVID-19 pandemic and then became one of the first recipients of the King’s Humanitarian Medal in 2025 for his work in Gaza with UK-MED, managing a Type 1 Field Hospital.

Dr Anne Meierkord

Dr Anne Meierkord is a medical doctor trained in England and Germany. She works clinically at the Charité University Hospital Berlin’s Institute of International Health training in infectious diseases and tropical medicine. Academically, she works as a research scientist in health policy analysis at the Centre for International Health Protection at the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s national public health institute. She has a keen interest in pandemic preparedness and tackling global health challenges. Her current research focuses on strengthening public health agencies to operationalize genomic surveillance, a project in collaboration with the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence. Anne holds an MSc in Control of Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. She was an HLA scholar in 2020–21 and later continued her involvement as a member of the HLA faculty, as well as cohort director for the Amsterdam and Global Virtual cohorts.

Organisation

The Healthcare Leadership Academy

The Healthcare Leadership Academy formed in response to demand from young clinicians and medical students to learn about leadership.

Founded by Dr Johann Malawana (Course Director), former leader of the Junior Doctor Dispute, and a team of like-minded professionals (Our Faculty and Assistant Course Directors) the Healthcare Leadership Academy launched on 20th December 2016.

HLA houses an exciting faculty from across the health sector and beyond. Their shared aim is to inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals and develop their understanding of leadership. Too often in healthcare, leadership is confused with management. Through a combination of mentoring, Socratic discussion, and philosophical exploration, HLA aims to inspire our scholars to change the world of healthcare, one small step at a time.

At a time when the world seems an ever more worrying place, it is important that the next generation of healthcare professionals truly understand how to motivate the people they work with in order to best look after the populations they serve.