Image of Rifat Atun, MD, BS

Rifat Atun, MD, BS

Professor of Global Health Systems and a Department of Global Health and Social Medicine Affiliate

Dr Rifat Atun is Professor of Global Health Systems at Harvard University and the Faculty Chair for the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program.

From 2006- to 2013, Dr Atun was Professor of International Health Management and Head of the Health Management Group at Imperial College London. From 2008 to 2012 he served as a member of the Executive Management Team of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as the Director of Strategy, Performance and Evaluation Cluster, where he chaired the panel that oversaw investments of around $4billion each year in more than 100 countries.

Dr Atun has published more than 400 papers in leading journals including the Lancet, NEJM, Academy of Management Journal, Lancet Global Health, Lancet Infectious Diseases, Lancet Oncology, and Lancet Psychiatry and PLoS Medicine. He has led or has been a commissioner in 12 Lancet Commissions and was a co-author and member of the Advisory Committee for the Editors for Disease Control Priorities (DCP) 3. In 2020, he was recognized by the Web of Science as one of the World’s Highly Cited Researchers.

Prof. Atun has worked with more than 30 governments globally and with the World Bank, World Health Organization, and the UK Department for International Development (DfID) to design, implement and evaluate health system reform initiatives. In 1999-2006 he was a member of the UK DfID Resource Centre for Health Systems.

Dr Atun has led executive education programs and undertaken assignments for major organizations including Novartis, Medtronic, GSK, Pfizer Inc., the Vodafone Group, and Hofmann-La Roche.

Professor Atun’s research has two major strands. The first examines health systems performance and how design and implementation of health system reforms impact on outcomes. The second strand of research explores adoption and diffusion of innovations in health systems (e.g. new health technologies, disease control programmes, and primary healthcare reforms), and innovative financing in global health. Prof. Atun is a co-Investigator and the joint lead for the innovation work stream at the National Centre for Infection Prevention and Management at Imperial College.

He is also a co-Investigator and the Theme Lead for ‘Organisational Change, Health Economics and Evaluation’ at the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit for Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection.

Hypertension care cascades and reducing inequities in cardiovascular disease in low- and middle-income countries.
Authors: Authors: Stein DT, Reitsma MB, Geldsetzer P, Agoudavi K, Aryal KK, Bahendeka S, Brant LCC, Farzadfar F, Gurung MS, Guwatudde D, Houehanou YCN, Malta DC, Martins JS, Saeedi Moghaddam S, Mwangi KJ, Norov B, Sturua L, Zhumadilov Z, Bärnighausen T, Davies JI, Flood D, Marcus ME, Theilmann M, Vollmer S, Manne-Goehler J, Atun R, Sudharsanan N, Verguet S.
Nat Med
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The association of a disability-targeted cash transfer programme with disability status and health-care access: a quasi-experimental study using a nationwide cohort of 4·3 million Chinese adults living with severe disabilities.
Authors: Authors: Li Z, Wang H, Chen S, Kong Y, Xie L, Zhang X, Lu C, Subramanian SV, Cohen JL, Atun R.
Lancet Public Health
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Evidence review and recommendations for the implementation of genomics for antimicrobial resistance surveillance: reports from an international expert group.
Authors: Authors: Baker KS, Jauneikaite E, Nunn JG, Midega JT, Atun R, Holt KE, Walia K, Howden BP, Tate H, Okeke IN, Carattoli A, Hsu LY, Hopkins KL, Muloi DM, Wheeler NE, Aanensen DM, Mason LCE, Rodgus J, Hendriksen RS, Essack SY, Egyir B, Halpin AL, MacCannell DR, Campos J, Srikantiah P, Feasey NA, Peacock SJ.
Lancet Microbe
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Converging global health agendas and universal health coverage: financing whole-of-government action through UHC.
Authors: Authors: Collins TE, Akselrod S, Atun R, Bennett S, Ogbuoji O, Hanson M, Dubois G, Shakarishvili A, Kalnina I, Requejo J, Mosneaga A, Watabe A, Berlina D, Allen LN.
Lancet Glob Health
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Diabetes risk and provision of diabetes prevention activities in 44 low-income and middle-income countries: a cross-sectional analysis of nationally representative, individual-level survey data.
Authors: Authors: Rahim NE, Flood D, Marcus ME, Theilmann M, Aung TN, Agoudavi K, Aryal KK, Bahendeka S, Bicaba B, Bovet P, Diallo AO, Farzadfar F, Guwatudde D, Houehanou C, Houinato D, Hwalla N, Jorgensen J, Kagaruki GB, Mayige M, Wong-McClure R, Larijani B, Saeedi Moghaddam S, Mwalim O, Mwangi KJ, Sarkar S, Sibai AM, Sturua L, Wesseh C, Geldsetzer P, Atun R, Vollmer S, Bärnighausen T, Davies J, Ali MK, Seiglie JA, Manne-Goehler J.
Lancet Glob Health
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Tsinghua-Lancet Commission on health and poverty alleviation in China.
Authors: Authors: Liang W, Tang K, Zhu J, Li Z, Yip W, Lin V, Atun R, Chan M.
Lancet
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Diagnostic testing for hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolaemia in low-income and middle-income countries: a cross-sectional study of data for 994?185 individuals from 57 nationally representative surveys.
Authors: Authors: Ochmann S, von Polenz I, Marcus ME, Theilmann M, Flood D, Agoudavi K, Aryal KK, Bahendeka S, Bicaba B, Bovet P, Campos Caldeira Brant L, Carvalho Malta D, Damasceno A, Farzadfar F, Gathecha G, Ghanbari A, Gurung M, Guwatudde D, Houehanou C, Houinato D, Hwalla N, Jorgensen JA, Karki KB, Lunet N, Martins J, Mayige M, Moghaddam SS, Mwalim O, Mwangi KJ, Norov B, Quesnel-Crooks S, Rezaei N, Sibai AM, Sturua L, Tsabedze L, Wong-McClure R, Davies J, Geldsetzer P, Bärnighausen T, Atun R, Manne-Goehler J, Vollmer S.
Lancet Glob Health
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Health system resilience: a critical review and reconceptualisation.
Authors: Authors: Witter S, Thomas S, Topp SM, Barasa E, Chopra M, Cobos D, Blanchet K, Teddy G, Atun R, Ager A.
Lancet Glob Health
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Aspirin for Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in 51 Low-, Middle-, and High-Income Countries.
Authors: Authors: Yoo SGK, Chung GS, Bahendeka SK, Sibai AM, Damasceno A, Farzadfar F, Rohloff P, Houehanou C, Norov B, Karki KB, Azangou-Khyavy M, Marcus ME, Aryal KK, Brant LCC, Theilmann M, Cífková R, Lunet N, Gurung MS, Mwangi JK, Martins J, Haghshenas R, Sturua L, Vollmer S, Bärnighausen T, Atun R, Sussman JB, Singh K, Saeedi Moghaddam S, Guwatudde D, Geldsetzer P, Manne-Goehler J, Huffman MD, Davies JI, Flood D.
JAMA
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A Financing Strategy to Expand Surgical Health Care.
Authors: Authors: Jumbam DT, Reddy CL, Meara JG, Makasa EM, Atun R.
Glob Health Sci Pract
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