Dr Sarona Lengana is a medical doctor and medical scientist whose work spans clinical and laboratory medicine, public health, research, strategy, leadership and innovation. Her career has been shaped by curiosity about how ideas can be translated into practical solutions.
Early in her career, while working at a community health centre during the height of South Africa's HIV epidemic, she saw how an overstretched healthcare system could buckle under pressure. The experience prompted her to look at understanding the systems that shape health outcomes.
Lengana pursued further training in HIV management and financial accounting before specialising in medical microbiology and moving into research, population health, strategic risk and leadership. As a former medical officer and research programme manager at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases and later as a divisional manager for population health and strategic risk management, she worked at the intersection of research, policy, healthcare and organisational decision-making.
Through the Maternal Influenza Vaccination Study, Lengana contributed to evidence that supported national conversations and programmes around flu vaccination during pregnancy. Through the Infant Burden Study, she contributed to research that informed the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine into the national immunisation programme. Lengana is applying the systems-focused approach to education through LnM Dreambox, an education and AI-powered innovation venture focused on building infrastructure for curiosity-driven learning. She is also the creator of The Pikinini Scientist, a 17-book children's science series that turns everyday experiences into opportunities for discovery.
Her work includes developing the Dreambox Learning Lens, Dreambox Curiosity Cycle and Curiosity Index, while building partnerships around library-based Curiosity Hubs. She has also contributed to public health, education, literacy, Stem and women's leadership.