Rifat Atun

Rifat Atun is a professor of global health systems and the faculty chair of the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program at Harvard University, United States. From 2008–2012, he served on the Global Fund’s executive management team as Director of Strategy, Performance and Evaluation and chaired the panel that oversaw annual investments of ~US$4 billion each year.

From 2006–2013, he was a professor of international health management at Imperial College London, United Kingdom, where he led the Centre for Health Management and was involved as founder, adviser and investor in several biotech and health technology companies. He is a visiting professor at University of Kyoto, Japan.

Atun’s research focuses on health system transformation, and innovation. He has published more than 350 papers in leading journals.

Atun has advised more than 30 governments on health policy, strategy and health system reform, and has consulted for the World Bank, WHO and leading organisations, such as Medtronic, Novartis, Hoffman-La Roche, and Merck & Co.

Atun was a member of the US National Academy of Medicine Committee on Health Systems. He served on 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 from 2009–2011, and was as a member of the UK Medical Research Council’s Global Health Group. He is a member of the Longitude Prize Committee – the largest science prize in the world.

Atun studied medicine at University of London as a Commonwealth Scholar and subsequently completed his postgraduate training in family medicine and public health. He obtained a master’s 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.