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.

Digital Education in Health Professions: The Need for Overarching Evidence Synthesis.
Authors: Authors: Car J, Carlstedt-Duke J, Tudor Car L, Posadzki P, Whiting P, Zary N, Atun R, Majeed A, Campbell J.
J Med Internet Res
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Mobile Digital Education for Health Professions: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by the Digital Health Education Collaboration.
Authors: Authors: Dunleavy G, Nikolaou CK, Nifakos S, Atun R, Law GCY, Tudor Car L.
J Med Internet Res
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Accelerating the elimination of viral hepatitis: a Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology Commission.
Authors: Authors: Cooke GS, Andrieux-Meyer I, Applegate TL, Atun R, Burry JR, Cheinquer H, Dusheiko G, Feld JJ, Gore C, Griswold MG, Hamid S, Hellard ME, Hou J, Howell J, Jia J, Kravchenko N, Lazarus JV, Lemoine M, Lesi OA, Maistat L, McMahon BJ, Razavi H, Roberts T, Simmons B, Sonderup MW, Spearman CW, Taylor BE, Thomas DL, Waked I, Ward JW, Wiktor SZ.
Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol
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Disease burden and government spending on mental, neurological, and substance use disorders, and self-harm: cross-sectional, ecological study of health system response in the Americas.
Authors: Authors: Vigo DV, Kestel D, Pendakur K, Thornicroft G, Atun R.
Lancet Public Health
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Financial performance of English NHS trusts and variation in clinical outcomes: a longitudinal observational study.
Authors: Authors: Nagendran M, Kiew G, Raine R, Atun R, Maruthappu M.
BMJ Open
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Health diplomacy through health entrepreneurship: using hackathons to address Palestinian-Israeli health concerns.
Authors: Authors: Ramadi K, Srinavasan S, Atun R.
BMJ Glob Health
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Health system modelling research: towards a whole-health-system perspective for identifying good value for money investments in health system strengthening.
Authors: Authors: Verguet S, Feldhaus I, Jiang Kwete X, Aqil A, Atun R, Bishai D, Cecchini M, Guerra Junior AA, Habtemariam MK, Jbaily A, Karanfil O, Kruk ME, Haneuse S, Norheim OF, Smith PC, Tolla MT, Zewdu S, Bump J.
BMJ Glob Health
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Childhood cancer burden: a review of global estimates.
Authors: Authors: Bhakta N, Force LM, Allemani C, Atun R, Bray F, Coleman MP, Steliarova-Foucher E, Frazier AL, Robison LL, Rodriguez-Galindo C, Fitzmaurice C.
Lancet Oncol
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Cost-effectiveness of scaling up of hepatitis C screening and treatment: a modelling study in South Korea.
Authors: Authors: Kim J, Haacker M, Keshavjee S, Atun R.
BMJ Glob Health
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How the health-seeking behaviour of pregnant women affects neonatal outcomes: findings of system dynamics modelling in Pakistan.
Authors: Authors: Ahmad R, Zhu NJ, Lebcir RM, Atun R.
BMJ Glob Health
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