Image of Rifat Atun, MD, BS

Rifat Atun, M.B.,B.S.

Professor of Global Health Systems, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Faculty Affiliate in the Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

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.

Cancer incidence and survival for 11 cancers in the Commonwealth: a simulation-based modelling study.
Authors: Authors: Ward ZJ, Gaba Q, Atun R.
Lancet Oncol
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The impact of health insurance on hypertension care: a household fixed effects study in India.
Authors: Authors: Feng Z, Chen Q, Jiao L, Ma X, Atun R, Geldsetzer P, Bärnighausen T, Chen S.
BMC Public Health
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Global maternal mortality projections by urban/rural location and education level: a simulation-based analysis.
Authors: Authors: Ward ZJ, Atun R, King G, Dmello BS, Goldie SJ.
EClinicalMedicine
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Unification of Efforts to Improve Global Access to Cancer Therapeutics: Report From the 2022/2023 Access to Essential Cancer Medicines Stakeholder Summit.
Authors: Authors: Briercheck E, Pyle D, Adams C, Atun R, Booth C, Dent J, Garcia-Gonzalez P, Ilbawi A, Jazieh AR, Kerr D, Knaul F, Kobayashi E, Lim C, Maza M, Milner D, Navarro MF, O'Brien M, Rodriguez-Galindo C, Sullivan R, Torode J, Vokes E, Gralow J.
JCO Glob Oncol
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The prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among adults living in extreme poverty.
Authors: Authors: Geldsetzer P, Tisdale RL, Stehr L, Michalik F, Lemp J, Aryal KK, Damasceno A, Houehanou C, Jørgensen JMA, Lunet N, Mayige M, Saeedi Moghaddam S, Mwangi KJ, Bommer C, Marcus ME, Theilmann M, Ebert C, Atun R, Davies JI, Flood D, Manne-Goehler J, Seiglie J, Bärnighausen T, Vollmer S.
Nat Hum Behav
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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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Multiple cardiovascular risk factor care in 55 low- and middle-income countries: A cross-sectional analysis of nationally-representative, individual-level data from 280,783 adults.
Authors: Authors: Diallo AO, Marcus ME, Flood D, Theilmann M, Rahim NE, Kinlaw A, Franceschini N, Stürmer T, Tien DV, Abbasi-Kangevari M, Agoudavi K, Andall-Brereton G, Aryal K, Bahendeka S, Bicaba B, Bovet P, Dorobantu M, Farzadfar F, Ghamari SH, Gathecha G, Guwatudde D, Gurung M, Houehanou C, Houinato D, Hwalla N, Jorgensen J, Kagaruki G, Karki K, Martins J, Mayige M, McClure RW, Moghaddam SS, Mwalim O, Mwangi KJ, Norov B, Quesnel-Crooks S, Sibai A, Sturua L, Tsabedze L, Wesseh C, Geldsetzer P, Atun R, Vollmer S, Bärnighausen T, Davies J, Ali MK, Seiglie JA, Gower EW, Manne-Goehler J.
PLOS Glob Public Health
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Global Prevalence of Aspirin Use for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study of Nationally Representative, Individual-Level Data.
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, Moghaddam SS, Guwatudde D, Geldsetzer P, Manne-Goehler J, Huffman MD, Davies JI, Flood D.
Glob Heart
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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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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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