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Lonnie Hackett

IHTM alumnus Lonnie Hackett and a colleague are photographed sitting outside a building in Zambia.
Lonnie Hackett and Ignicious Bulongo

Lonnie Hackett (IHTM 2017)

CEO and Co-Founder Healthy Learners, Lusaka Province, Zambia

Background
Lonnie Hackett grew up in Maine, USA, where he studied Biochemistry as an undergraduate. Initially planning to pursue a career in medicine, his path changed during a transformative visit to Zambia in 2011. Confronted with the barriers school-aged children face in accessing basic healthcare, he became committed to addressing this gap through sustainable, systems-level solutions.
In 2013, Lonnie partnered with Ignicious Bulongo, then Director of the Ministry of Health at the Ng’ombe Health Facility in Zambia. Together, they developed a simple yet bold idea: to bring healthcare to where children already are - their school - by training the people they trust most: their teachers. This collaborative vision led to the creation of Healthy Learners, a non-profit organization dedicated to integrating health into education and ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive regardless of their economic background.

The Healthy Learners Approach
Healthy Learners addresses a critical gap in healthcare for school-aged children. While global health efforts prioritize the first 1,000 days of life, investment often wanes after age five, leaving millions of children across sub-Saharan Africa vulnerable to treatable conditions like anemia and parasitic infections. This gap undermines children’s ability to stay healthy, succeed in school, and reach their potential.
Healthy Learners bridges this divide by operating at the intersection of health and education. The program transforms schools into access points for healthcare, integrating services into daily routines to make treatment and referrals seamless. Teachers are trained to identify common health issues, supported by cutting-edge digital diagnostic tools for accurate assessment and basic treatment. Health workers provide essential backup, administrators integrate health activities into school schedules, and parents remain actively engaged in their children’s well-being.
From its inception, Healthy Learners has worked in close collaboration with the Zambian government, embedding its programs within the existing frameworks of the Ministries of Health and Education. This partnership ensures long-term sustainability and alignment with national priorities.
By 2024, Healthy Learners had reached nearly 1 million children across Zambia, achieving measurable outcomes:

  • 38% reduction in student morbidity
  • 48% increase in vitamin A and deworming coverage
  • 52% reduction in odds of stunting
  • 28% increase in student knowledge of health topics

Looking ahead, Healthy Learners aims to reach 2.5 million children across Zambia by 2028, transitioning to a fully government-owned and -led program. With growing interest from neighboring countries, the organization is preparing for regional expansion, offering a scalable blueprint for integrating health into education systems across sub-Saharan Africa.

Why IHTM?
After moving to Zambia and co-founding Healthy Learners, Lonnie felt an obligation to further develop his skills and knowledge to lead the organisation effectively. He recognized that achieving its full potential required a deeper understanding of global health systems, evidence-based practices, and sustainable frameworks for lasting impact.
IHTM stood out for its focus on equipping leaders to tackle complex health challenges at a systems level. Lonnie was particularly drawn to the program’s emphasis on designing robust frameworks for healthcare delivery and its interdisciplinary approach, which convened public health practitioners from diverse backgrounds and countries. Learning from peers actively addressing challenges in resource-constrained settings was an invaluable part of the experience.
Oxford’s reputation for innovation in global health, combined with a faculty of experts, provided the ideal environment for Lonnie to refine his leadership and technical skills. Support from the Truman Scholarship and Rotary Scholarship made this opportunity possible.

Impact
Lonnie translated the lessons of IHTM into measurable progress for Healthy Learners. Together with Ignicious, they have built a foundation rooted in evidence and designed for scale, leveraging partnerships with leading institutions like Harvard, the London School of Economics and the University of Zambia. The tools and frameworks Lonnie gained through IHTM provided the confidence and skills to lead with purpose, creating a model that aligns government priorities with sustainable, community-driven solutions. Today, Healthy Learners is doing more than improving healthcare access—it is demonstrating how health and education can work together to help children thrive.

The Last Word
“IHTM allowed me to amplify a career that lies at the intersection of my passions: research in global health, social entrepreneurship, and a deeply held belief that every child has a right to health and education. It provided the skills and confidence to turn this conviction into action - building an organization that I feel deeply committed to and that reflects my purpose.”

Find out more about Healthy Learners.

 

 

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