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.

Global funding trends for malaria research in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic analysis.
Authors: Authors: Head MG, Goss S, Gelister Y, Alegana V, Brown RJ, Clarke SC, Fitchett JRA, Atun R, Scott JAG, Newell ML, Padmadas SS, Tatem AJ.
Lancet Glob Health
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Innovative financing instruments for global health 2002-15: a systematic analysis.
Authors: Authors: Atun R, Silva S, Knaul FM.
Lancet Glob Health
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Unemployment and HIV mortality in the countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development: 1981-2009.
Authors: Authors: Maruthappu M, Zhou C, Williams C, Zeltner T, Atun R.
JRSM Open
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Fukushima after the Great East Japan Earthquake: lessons for developing responsive and resilient health systems.
Authors: Authors: Fukuma S, Ahmed S, Goto R, Inui TS, Atun R, Fukuhara S.
J Glob Health
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User-fee-removal improves equity of children's health care utilization and reduces families' financial burden: evidence from Jamaica.
Authors: Authors: Li Z, Li M, Fink G, Bourne P, Bärnighausen T, Atun R.
J Glob Health
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Prioritizing medication safety in care of people with cancer: clinicians' views on main problems and solutions.
Authors: Authors: Car LT, Papachristou N, Urch C, Majeed A, Atun R, Car J, Vincent C.
J Glob Health
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The global economic burden of diabetes in adults aged 20-79 years: a cost-of-illness study.
Authors: Authors: Bommer C, Heesemann E, Sagalova V, Manne-Goehler J, Atun R, Bärnighausen T, Vollmer S.
Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol
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Investments in cancer research awarded to UK institutions and the global burden of cancer 2000-2013: a systematic analysis.
Authors: Authors: Maruthappu M, Head MG, Zhou CD, Gilbert BJ, El-Harasis MA, Raine R, Fitchett JR, Atun R.
BMJ Open
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Does task shifting yield cost savings and improve efficiency for health systems? A systematic review of evidence from low-income and middle-income countries.
Authors: Authors: Seidman G, Atun R.
Hum Resour Health
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Effect of primary health care reforms in Turkey on health service utilization and user satisfaction.
Authors: Authors: Hone T, Gurol-Urganci I, Millett C, Basara B, Akdag R, Atun R.
Health Policy Plan
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