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.

Indicators measuring the performance of malaria programs supported by the global fund in Asia, progress and the way forward.
Authors: Authors: Zhao J, Lama M, Sarkar S, Atun R.
PLoS One
View full abstract on Pubmed
Long-term costs and health impact of continued global fund support for antiretroviral therapy.
Authors: Authors: Stover J, Korenromp EL, Blakley M, Komatsu R, Viisainen K, Bollinger L, Atun R.
PLoS One
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Economic returns to investment in AIDS treatment in low and middle income countries.
Authors: Authors: Resch S, Korenromp E, Stover J, Blakley M, Krubiner C, Thorien K, Hecht R, Atun R.
PLoS One
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Viewpoint: Scientific dogmas, paradoxes and mysteries of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.
Authors: Authors: Zumla A, Atun R, Maeurer M, Mwaba P, Ma Z, O'Grady J, Bates M, Dheda K, Hoelscher M, Grange J.
Trop Med Int Health
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Universal access to malaria medicines: innovation in financing and delivery.
Authors: Authors: Adeyi O, Atun R.
Lancet
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Health systems, communicable diseases and integration.
Authors: Authors: Shigayeva A, Atun R, McKee M, Coker R.
Health Policy Plan
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A conceptual and analytical approach to comparative analysis of country case studies: HIV and TB control programmes and health systems integration.
Authors: Authors: Coker R, Balen J, Mounier-Jack S, Shigayeva A, Lazarus JV, Rudge JW, Naik N, Atun R.
Health Policy Plan
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Interactions between critical health system functions and HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programmes.
Authors: Authors: Atun R, Lazarus JV, Van Damme W, Coker R.
Health Policy Plan
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Equity and adequacy of international donor assistance for global malaria control: an analysis of populations at risk and external funding commitments.
Authors: Authors: Snow RW, Okiro EA, Gething PW, Atun R, Hay SI.
Lancet
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Maternal mortality for 181 countries, 1980-2008.
Authors: Authors: McKee M, Fisk NM, Atun R.
Lancet
View full abstract on Pubmed