Rifat Atun

Dr. Atun is Professor of Global Health Systems at Harvard University and the Faculty Chair for the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program. In 2008-12 he was a member of the Executive Management Team of the Global Fund as Director of Strategy, Performance and Evaluation. In 2006-2013 he was a Professor of International Health Management at Imperial College London. He is a visiting professor at University of Kyoto, Japan.

Professor Atun’s research focuses on health system performance and reform, and innovation. He has published over 300 papers in leading journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet, JAMA, and the Academy of Management Journal. Prof Atun has advised more than 30 governments on health policy and health system reform, and has worked with the World Bank, WHO and leading organizations such as Medtronic, Novartis, Roche, and Merck & Co.

Professor Atun worked in the UK as a clinician for 15 years before moving to academia. He worked at the UK Department for International Development Health Systems Resource Centre. He has been involved with new ventures in biotechnology, health technology and health IT as an investor, founder and director.

Professor Atun was a member of the US National Academy of Medicine Committee on Health Systems, and the Advisory Boards of WHO Research Centre for Health Development in Japan and the Norwegian Research Council’s Programme for Global Health Research. He Chaired the STOP TB Partnership Coordinating Board in 2009-2011. He is a member of the UK Medical Research Council’s Global Health Group, and the Longitude Prize Committee – the largest science prize in the world.

Professor Atun studied medicine at University of London as a Commonwealth Scholar. He completed postgraduate training in family medicine and public health, and obtained a Masters in Business Administration at University of London and Imperial College London. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, the Faculty of Public Health, and the Royal College of General Practitioners.