Event highlights
The Pan-European Leadership Academy (ELA), a flagship initiative by WHO/Europe, continues to develop emerging health leaders through experiential learning and tailored training. Tiers 1 and 2 focus on equipping participants with leadership skills and practical knowledge to address pressing public health challenges.
In 2024, the Tier 2 cohort included mid-career professionals from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.
These professionals completed their placements at the end of 2024, delivering strategic projects that addressed national and regional health needs. Specifically, national focus areas included:
- Azerbaijan: optimizing standard operating procedures in hospitals to enhance quality of care;
- Kazakhstan: developing recommendations to improve medical education, licensing and professional development;
- Kyrgyzstan: strengthening rural health-care workforce retention to improve accessibility and equity in underserved areas;
- Turkmenistan: promoting healthy lifestyle education among school-aged children to address noncommunicable diseases.
Through cross-country collaboration, participants also sought to advance regional and global health goals, aligning health system strategies with the Sustainable Development Goals, and tackling pressing public health challenges such as access to health care in rural areas and the prevention of noncommunicable diseases.
Looking ahead
As the ELA programme evolves, it continues to prioritize innovative approaches to expand its impact. Future plans include refining learning frameworks, enhancing collaboration with technical units, and fostering stronger peer-to-peer networks among participants.