Introducing Sciana’s seventh cohort

Meet the latest Fellows of Sciana: The Health Leaders Network

The Sciana Network is delighted to reveal 19 new Fellows selected to join its seventh cohort.

The Fellows actively contribute to at least one of the health systems in Germany, Switzerland, and the UK and have been selected in cooperation with our founding partners: the Health Foundation, Careum, and the Bosch Health Campus.

Following a competitive selection process, we are pleased to announce Cohort 7 includes:

• Mridul Agrawal, CEO and Co-Founder, Iuvando Health (Germany)
• Minal Bakhai, National Director for Primary Care and Community Transformation and Improvement, NHS England (United Kingdom)
• Lutz Breitling, Detention Doctor, Consultant, and Medical Officer, Mannheim Prison and Ministry of Justice and Migration (Germany)
• Sally Cartwright, Director of Public Health, Cambridgeshire County Council (United Kingdom)
• Raquel Correia, Chief Medical Officer, PromTime (Germany)
• Mona Dreesmann, Head of Department, Clinic for Neuro- and Social Paediatrics, West Brandenburg (Germany)
• Judy Dyos, Executive Director and Chief Nursing Officer, Salisbury Foundation Trust (United Kingdom)
• Carlo Fabian, Professor and Head of the Institute for Social Work and Health HSA, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland FHNW (Switzerland)
• Kai Lanz, CEO and Co-Founder, Krisenchat (Germany)
• Stéfanie Monod, Professor and Chief Medical Officer, Unisante, University of Lausanne (Switzerland)
• Christoph Napierala, Director, Spitex Biel-Bienne Regio (Switzerland)
• Bola Owolabi, Director, National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme, NHS England (United Kingdom)
• Christian Pfeuffer, Chairman of the Association for the German Society for People with Muscular Diseases (DGM) and Patient Representative in DGM, SMA Europe, EURORDIS, EUPATI (Germany)
• Serge Reichlin, CEO, Barmelweid Gruppe AG (Switzerland)
• Claudia Schade, CEO, Spitex Canton Zurich (Switzerland)
• Oonagh Smyth, CEO, Skills for Care (United Kingdom)
• Verena Stocker, Director of Innovation, Research, Life Sciences and Strategy, NHS England (United Kingdom)
• Bettina Wapf, Head of Executive Board Staff and Deputy Managing Director, Balgrist University Hospital (Switzerland)
• Andreas Welker, Head, Local Public Health Authority, Rhein-Neckar-Region (Germany)

This cohort’s theme is “Systems leadership for population health in times of scarcity.” The Network’s newest Fellows will have their first residential meeting at Schloss Leopoldskron, home of Salzburg Global, in May 2025.

Between May 2025 and November 2026, Cohort 7 will exchange strategies, innovations, and bold ideas in their work across Germany, Switzerland, and the UK towards advancing population health. With the Sciana Challenge, they’ll also define and tackle a real-world health leadership challenge as a cohort.

The two-year systems leadership programme includes four residential meetings at Schloss Leopoldskron and opportunities to participate in in-country social gatherings.

Fellows can also receive modest financial support through a bursary for Sciana Challenge group work and cross-country learning opportunities.

The Sciana Network, established in 2017, now has a community of more than 100 leaders in health across Europe, focusing on future challenges for health and wellbeing.

In addition to having access to the wider network of Fellows, Cohort 7 will receive guidance and support from Sciana Advisors, guest speakers, and programme co-leads Mary Helen Pombo and David Behan.

Mary Helen said, “We are at a critical juncture in global health, where the imperative for effective systems leadership has never been more urgent.

“The challenges of underinvestment, health workforce shortages, and persistent inequalities demand leaders who can drive change beyond traditional boundaries.

“Sciana’s Cohort 7 will bring together visionary leaders who are ready to bring a new form of leadership to tackle the complex issues surrounding population health, particularly in times of scarcity.

“This is an extraordinary cohort playing a pivotal role in reshaping health systems to be more inclusive, resilient, and equitable for all.”

David said, “Today and tomorrow’s health, care, and wellbeing leaders not only need to harness the advances of science and technology to treat people with ill health. They also need to reimagine how to promote better health and wellbeing that enables people to keep well.

“This will require the development of different forms of leadership and new and innovative partnerships. With this in mind, I look forward to working with our newest Fellows as we explore these topics further and the insights we’ll gain from one another over the next two years.”