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.

Barriers and enablers to integrating maternal and child health services to antenatal care in low and middle income countries.
Authors: Authors: de Jongh TE, Gurol-Urganci I, Allen E, Jiayue Zhu N, Atun R.
BJOG
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Liberating data: the crucial weapon in the fight against NCDs.
Authors: Authors: Davies J, Yudkin JS, Atun R.
Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol
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Kangaroo mother care: a systematic review of barriers and enablers.
Authors: Authors: Chan GJ, Labar AS, Wall S, Atun R.
Bull World Health Organ
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Mapping Investments and Published Outputs in Norovirus Research: A Systematic Analysis of Research Funded in the United States and United Kingdom During 1997-2013.
Authors: Authors: Head MG, Fitchett JR, Lichtman AB, Soyode DT, Harris JN, Atun R.
J Infect Dis
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Estimating the true global burden of mental illness.
Authors: Authors: Vigo D, Thornicroft G, Atun R.
Lancet Psychiatry
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Effects of economic crises on population health outcomes in Latin America, 1981-2010: an ecological study.
Authors: Authors: Williams C, Gilbert BJ, Zeltner T, Watkins J, Atun R, Maruthappu M.
BMJ Open
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Unemployment, public-sector healthcare expenditure and colorectal cancer mortality in the European Union: 1990-2009.
Authors: Authors: Maruthappu M, Watson RA, Watkins J, Williams C, Zeltner T, Faiz O, Ali R, Atun R.
Int J Public Health
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Research Investments in Global Health: A Systematic Analysis of UK Infectious Disease Research Funding and Global Health Metrics, 1997-2013.
Authors: Authors: Head MG, Fitchett JR, Nageshwaran V, Kumari N, Hayward A, Atun R.
EBioMedicine
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Innovative financing for late-stage global health research and development: the Global Health Investment Fund.
Authors: Authors: Fitchett JR, Fan Li J, Atun R.
Int Health
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Stopping tuberculosis: a biosocial model for sustainable development.
Authors: Authors: Ortblad KF, Salomon JA, Bärnighausen T, Atun R.
Lancet
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