Professor Rifat Atun is a physician, academic, and researcher specializing in health systems, public health policy, and healthcare management. He serves as Dean for Education and Innovation at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he also holds the positions of Professor of Global Health Systems and Julio Frenk Professor of Public Health Leadership.
His academic work focuses on health system performance, the impact of healthcare reforms, and innovative models of healthcare delivery. Atun also directs the Health Systems Innovation Lab at Harvard University.
From Medical Education in London to Healthcare Management
Rifat Atun completed his medical education at the University of London as a Commonwealth Scholar. He received his medical training at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals and continued his postgraduate medical training at the University of London.
He subsequently expanded his academic and professional expertise into healthcare management, earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Imperial College London. He also obtained a diploma in management from the same institution.
Atun holds professional memberships and qualifications associated with the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of Physicians, and the Faculty of Public Health of the Royal Colleges of Physicians in the United Kingdom.
From Imperial College London to Harvard University
Between 2006 and 2013, Professor Rifat Atun served as Professor of International Health Management at Imperial College London. During this period, he also led the university’s Health Management Group.
At Imperial College London, he was the founding director of the MSc International Health Management programme and the BSc Management and Medical Sciences programme for medical students. He also served as a founding co-director of the university’s Master of Public Health programme.
Atun subsequently joined Harvard University, becoming its first tenured professor in global health systems. His research has examined health system transformation, the evaluation of healthcare reforms, and the implementation of innovations in healthcare delivery.
He also holds a visiting professorship at Imperial College London.
Leadership in Global Health Financing and International Organizations
From 2008 to 2012, Professor Rifat Atun served on the senior management team of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. He was Director of Strategy, Performance and Evaluation at the organization.
During this period, he chaired a board responsible for reviewing and overseeing investments totaling approximately $4 billion annually across more than 120 countries. His work involved evaluating the performance of healthcare investments and assessing how financial resources contributed to health outcomes.
Atun has advised the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and national governments on health system restructuring, healthcare financing, and the evaluation of health reforms.
Between 2005 and 2007, he chaired the World Health Organization’s Task Force on Health Systems and Tuberculosis Control. From 2009 to 2012, he served as Chair of the Stop TB Partnership Coordinating Board.
He also served as a senior adviser to the G20 Presidency during 2019–2020. During Indonesia’s G20 Presidency in 2021–2022, he co-chaired a T20 task force addressing global health security and COVID-19.
Research on Health Systems and Innovation at Harvard
At Harvard University, Atun’s research focuses on two principal areas: health system performance and the adoption of innovations in healthcare.
The first examines how health systems function and how reforms influence health outcomes. The second explores the integration of new healthcare technologies, financing models, and service delivery innovations into health systems.
Atun has authored more than 500 academic publications, including research published in The Lancet, The New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Medicine, The Lancet Global Health, and The Lancet Oncology.
He has also served as chair or commissioner on 20 Lancet Commissions examining global health challenges and health policy issues.
From 2020 to 2025, Atun was recognized by Clarivate among the world’s highly cited researchers across multiple disciplines. He has also appeared in scientific researcher assessments produced by Stanford University and Elsevier.
Dean for Education and Innovation at Harvard University
In July 2026, Professor Rifat Atun was appointed Dean for Education and Innovation at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
In this leadership role, he assumed responsibilities involving the development of the school’s educational strategy, the design of new learning models, and the integration of technological innovations into academic programmes.
His portfolio includes artificial intelligence-supported approaches to education, new academic credential programmes, interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovation in teaching and learning.
Atun also directs Harvard’s Advanced Learning Academy. Between 2015 and 2023, he served as Academic Director of the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program.
Professor Rifat Atun continues his academic and leadership work at Harvard University, focusing on health systems research, health policy evaluation, and the implementation of emerging healthcare technologies. His career brings together medicine, healthcare management, global health financing, and innovation in higher education.
