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.

Factors influencing physicians' choice of workplace: systematic review of drivers of attrition and policy interventions to address them.
Authors: Authors: El Koussa M, Atun R, Bowser D, Kruk ME.
J Glob Health
View full abstract on Pubmed
Shifting chronic disease management from hospitals to primary care in Estonian health system: analysis of national panel data.
Authors: Authors: Atun R, Gurol-Urganci I, Hone T, Pell L, Stokes J, Habicht T, Lukka K, Raaper E, Habicht J.
J Glob Health
View full abstract on Pubmed
Ebola research funding: a systematic analysis, 1997-2015.
Authors: Authors: Fitchett JR, Lichtman A, Soyode DT, Low A, Villar de Onis J, Head MG, Atun R.
J Glob Health
View full abstract on Pubmed
Identification of priorities for improvement of medication safety in primary care: a PRIORITIZE study.
Authors: Authors: Tudor Car L, Papachristou N, Gallagher J, Samra R, Wazny K, El-Khatib M, Bull A, Majeed A, Aylin P, Atun R, Rudan I, Car J, Bell H, Vincent C, Franklin BD.
BMC Fam Pract
View full abstract on Pubmed
Methods for estimating the burden of antimicrobial resistance: a systematic literature review protocol.
Authors: Authors: Naylor NR, Silva S, Kulasabanathan K, Atun R, Zhu N, Knight GM, Robotham J.
Syst Rev
View full abstract on Pubmed
Diabetes diagnosis and care in sub-Saharan Africa: pooled analysis of individual data from 12 countries.
Authors: Authors: Manne-Goehler J, Atun R, Stokes A, Goehler A, Houinato D, Houehanou C, Hambou MM, Mbenza BL, Sobngwi E, Balde N, Mwangi JK, Gathecha G, Ngugi PW, Wesseh CS, Damasceno A, Lunet N, Bovet P, Labadarios D, Zuma K, Mayige M, Kagaruki G, Ramaiya K, Agoudavi K, Guwatudde D, Bahendeka SK, Mutungi G, Geldsetzer P, Levitt NS, Salomon JA, Yudkin JS, Vollmer S, Bärnighausen T.
Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol
View full abstract on Pubmed
Changing HIV treatment eligibility under health system constraints in sub-Saharan Africa: investment needs, population health gains, and cost-effectiveness.
Authors: Authors: Hontelez JA, Chang AY, Ogbuoji O, de Vlas SJ, Bärnighausen T, Atun R.
AIDS
View full abstract on Pubmed
Clinician-identified problems and solutions for delayed diagnosis in primary care: a PRIORITIZE study.
Authors: Authors: Tudor Car L, Papachristou N, Bull A, Majeed A, Gallagher J, El-Khatib M, Aylin P, Rudan I, Atun R, Car J, Vincent C.
BMC Fam Pract
View full abstract on Pubmed
Transparency and availability of data for cancer research.
Authors: Authors: Fitchett JR, Sharara N, Head MG, Huang F, Atun R.
Lancet
View full abstract on Pubmed
Economic downturns, universal health coverage, and cancer mortality in high-income and middle-income countries, 1990-2010: a longitudinal analysis.
Authors: Authors: Maruthappu M, Watkins J, Noor AM, Williams C, Ali R, Sullivan R, Zeltner T, Atun R.
Lancet
View full abstract on Pubmed