Dr Meike Schlieff is Programme Lead for UCL’s MSc in Health Systems, Policy, and Innovation and leads the Changing Health Systems module. Learn about her focus on mentorship and inclusive leadership, and how she balances her love of nature with her tech-heavy work.
What is your role and what does it involve?
I lead the Changing Health Systems module, one of the largest at UCL with over 400 Master’s students, and I am the Programme Lead for the new Health Systems, Policy, and Innovation MSc at UCL Global Business School for Health. My role is a blend of teaching, research, leadership, and mentorship. Beyond teaching, I lead international partnerships, including on capacity strengthening for leaders in Africa. A core part of my work is mentoring early-career professionals, both at UCL and through global networks.
How long have you been at UCL and what was your previous role?
I joined UCL in August 2022. Before that, I worked at the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research at the World Health Organization and at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. I focused on research and teaching related to primary health care, policymaker engagement in research, and supporting national implementation research collaborations in Africa and Asia.
What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?
I’m proud of supporting institutions, particularly in low-resource settings, to increase their capacity and visibility to lead on setting health systems and policy agendas, host pivotal convenings, and generate relevant, timely, and accessible evidence to inform decision-making. I’m also proud of contributing to more inclusive conversations in health systems, particularly around women’s leadership and how we can thrive simultaneously as mothers and professionals.
Tell us about a project you are working on now which is top of your to-do list
I’m working with our team at GBSH to launch the new Health Systems, Policy, and Innovation MSc, which will be welcoming the first cohort in 2026. The MSc aims to train the next generation of leaders to combine world-class expertise in health systems and policy with strategic problem-solving and innovative thinking drawn from business and public leadership.
What is your favourite album, film and novel?
Album: Gustav Holst’s The Planets. I grew up trained as a classical pianist and listening to classical music. This album helped me through some challenging periods as a university student.
Film: Dirty Dancing. It inspired some of my theatrical ventures in my teens and twenties and continues to remind me to be bold with what I want and who I am.
Novel: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. It moves me every time I read it. The story captures the arc of human searching and struggle, and the way these experiences can ultimately lead to peace and a deeper sense of connection with the world.
What is your favourite joke (pre-watershed)?
Parallel lines have so much in common... it’s a shame they’ll never meet.
Who would be your dream dinner guests?
Jacinda Ardern, Tarana Burke, and Paul Farmer. I’d love to hear their reflections on leadership, envisioning a world as we might want it and finding ways to demonstrate that is possible, and bringing people together to transform how we understand and talk about issues that impact many of us.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Trust that the unconventional path is still a path. The dots connect, even if you can’t yet see the pattern.
What would it surprise people to know about you?
Alongside academia, I am a gardener. I find joy in moving soil, nurturing diverse plants, and watching small ecosystems flourish, whether on my balcony or in local community spaces. It balances out the cerebral and computer-heavy nature of much of my other work.
What is your favourite place?
Anywhere by flowing water, whether that’s the canal near my home in London, one of Earth’s majestic rivers, or a local stream near my childhood home in West Virginia. Being near water always brings me calm and reminds me to let things flow. I also love how bodies of water, and the global water cycle, link together and the reminder they represent about how interconnected we are.
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