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.

Economic impact of tuberculosis mortality in 120 countries and the cost of not achieving the Sustainable Development Goals tuberculosis targets: a full-income analysis.
Authors: Authors: Silva S, Arinaminpathy N, Atun R, Goosby E, Reid M.
Lancet Glob Health
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Unmet need for hypercholesterolemia care in 35 low- and middle-income countries: A cross-sectional study of nationally representative surveys.
Authors: Authors: Marcus ME, Ebert C, Geldsetzer P, Theilmann M, Bicaba BW, Andall-Brereton G, Bovet P, Farzadfar F, Singh Gurung M, Houehanou C, Malekpour MR, Martins JS, Moghaddam SS, Mohammadi E, Norov B, Quesnel-Crooks S, Wong-McClure R, Davies JI, Hlatky MA, Atun R, Bärnighausen TW, Jaacks LM, Manne-Goehler J, Vollmer S.
PLoS Med
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Estimating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on diagnosis and survival of five cancers in Chile from 2020 to 2030: a simulation-based analysis.
Authors: Authors: Ward ZJ, Walbaum M, Walbaum B, Guzman MJ, Jimenez de la Jara J, Nervi B, Atun R.
Lancet Oncol
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The impact of scaling up access to treatment and imaging modalities on global disparities in breast cancer survival: a simulation-based analysis.
Authors: Authors: Ward ZJ, Atun R, Hricak H, Asante K, McGinty G, Sutton EJ, Norton L, Scott AM, Shulman LN.
Lancet Oncol
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Non-communicable disease risk factors and management among internal migrant in China: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Authors: Authors: Qian CX, Zhao Y, Anindya K, Tenneti N, Desloge A, Atun R, Qin VM, Mulcahy P, Lee JT.
BMJ Glob Health
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How systems respond to policies: intended and unintended consequences of COVID-19 lockdown policies in Thailand.
Authors: Authors: Leerapan B, Kaewkamjornchai P, Atun R, Jalali MS.
Health Policy Plan
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It takes two to dance the VBHC tango: A multiple case study of the adoption of value-based strategies in Sweden and Brazil.
Authors: Authors: Ramos P, Savage C, Thor J, Atun R, Carlsson KS, Makdisse M, Neto MC, Klajner S, Parini P, Mazzocato P.
Soc Sci Med
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Body-mass index and diabetes risk in 57 low-income and middle-income countries: a cross-sectional study of nationally representative, individual-level data in 685?616 adults.
Authors: Authors: Teufel F, Seiglie JA, Geldsetzer P, Theilmann M, Marcus ME, Ebert C, Arboleda WAL, Agoudavi K, Andall-Brereton G, Aryal KK, Bicaba BW, Brian G, Bovet P, Dorobantu M, Gurung MS, Guwatudde D, Houehanou C, Houinato D, Jorgensen JMA, Kagaruki GB, Karki KB, Labadarios D, Martins JS, Mayige MT, McClure RW, Mwangi JK, Mwalim O, Norov B, Crooks S, Farzadfar F, Moghaddam SS, Silver BK, Sturua L, Wesseh CS, Stokes AC, Essien UR, De Neve JW, Atun R, Davies JI, Vollmer S, Bärnighausen TW, Ali MK, Meigs JB, Wexler DJ, Manne-Goehler J.
Lancet
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Targeting Hypertension Screening in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of 1.2 Million Adults in 56 Countries.
Authors: Authors: Kirschbaum TK, Theilmann M, Sudharsanan N, Manne-Goehler J, Lemp JM, De Neve JW, Marcus ME, Ebert C, Chen S, Aryal KK, Bahendeka SK, Norov B, Damasceno A, Dorobantu M, Farzadfar F, Fattahi N, Gurung MS, Guwatudde D, Labadarios D, Lunet N, Rayzan E, Saeedi Moghaddam S, Webster J, Davies JI, Atun R, Vollmer S, Bärnighausen T, Jaacks LM, Geldsetzer P.
J Am Heart Assoc
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Guidance for Health Care Leaders During the Recovery Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Consensus Statement.
Authors: Authors: Geerts JM, Kinnair D, Taheri P, Abraham A, Ahn J, Atun R, Barberia L, Best NJ, Dandona R, Dhahri AA, Emilsson L, Free JR, Gardam M, Geerts WH, Ihekweazu C, Johnson S, Kooijman A, Lafontaine AT, Leshem E, Lidstone-Jones C, Loh E, Lyons O, Neel KAF, Nyasulu PS, Razum O, Sabourin H, Schleifer Taylor J, Sharifi H, Stergiopoulos V, Sutton B, Wu Z, Bilodeau M.
JAMA Netw Open
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