Innovation to Transform Underperforming Health Systems

Health systems worldwide face multiple and converging challenges: epidemiological transition leading to rising burden of disease and disability, rising demand for health services, higher societal expectations, increasing health expenditures, slow economic growth and fiscal conservatism with austerity policies that constrain investment in health systems. Innovation is critical for fundamental transformation of health systems to overcome these challenges, build responsiveness and resilience, and ensure sustainability. This session will present an analysis of health systems responses to evolving challenges and identify areas of major underperformance. It will explore emerging innovations that could be harnessed to transform health systems to improve population health outcomes and societal wellbeing.

This event is free and open to the public. 

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About the Speaker

Rifat Atun, MBBS, MBA, FFPH, FRCGP, FRCP

Professor of Global Health Systems in the Department of Global Health and Population at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Rifat Atun is Professor of Global Health Systems at Harvard University and the Director of The Health System Innovation Lab. In 2015-2023 he was the Faculty Chair for the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program. He is a Faculty Affiliate at the Center for International Development at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Faculty and Member of the Harvard University Asia Center Steering Committee and Council. Professor Atun is a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London, and a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Fukushima University in Japan.

Professor Atun has published more than 450 papers in leading journals including the Lancet, NEJM, Nature Medicine, Academy of Management Journal, Lancet Global Health, Lancet Infectious Diseases, Lancet Oncology, and Lancet Psychiatry. In 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 he was recognized by the Web of Science/Clarivate as one of the World’s Highly Cited Researchers.

Professor 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. Professor 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.

About the Global Research and Innovation Speaker Series

The Harvard Global Health Institute’s Global Health Research and Innovation Speaker Series showcases the latest scholarly and scientific advancements in global health across Harvard and beyond, to make cutting-edge research accessible to a diverse global audience, and to spark innovative solutions in the pursuit of health equity and improved health outcomes worldwide. The public series takes place virtually on the second Tuesday of each month from 12:00 to 12:45 pm ET. Each session will include a presentation by a featured speaker showcasing their innovative research in global health, followed by a moderated Q&A.

Speakers will share their own perspectives; they do not speak for Harvard.