Atul Gawande

Atul Gawande

Distinguished Professor in Residence

Atul Gawande, MD, MPH, is a renowned surgeon, public health innovator, and author. He holds the Fish Chair in Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and is the Samuel O. Thier Professor of the Practice of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. He is also Professor of the Practice at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. He was Assistant Administrator for Global Health at USAID from January 2022 to January 2025. Prior to that, he was co-founder and chair of Ariadne Labs, a joint center for health systems innovation where he is now Distinguished Professor in Residence, and Lifebox, a nonprofit making surgery safer globally. From 2018-2020, he was CEO of Haven, the Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase healthcare venture.

Dr. Gawande is also a longtime writer for The New Yorker magazine and has written four New York Times best-selling books: Complications, Better, The Checklist Manifesto, and Being Mortal. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and has won two National Magazine Awards, AcademyHealth’s Impact Award for highest research impact on healthcare, and a MacArthur Fellowship. And he is executive producer for three documentary films: the PBS film Being Mortal (2016 Emmy nominee), the Netflix film To Kill A Tiger (2024 Oscar nominee), and the New Yorker film Rovina’s Choice (2026 Oscar shortlist).

NEWS - Perspectives
New York Times: The Aftermath of a Pandemic Requires as Much Focus as the Start

Dr. Atul Gawande pens an essay published in the New York Times on the aftermath of the pandemic and the need to reorient our health systems toward primary care.

Mar 17 2023
NEWS
PBS Tell Me More with Kelly Corrigan: Dr. Atul Gawande

Ariadne Labs co-founder Dr. Atul Gawande sits down with PBS’s Kelly Corrigan to discuss his personal and professional life.

Nov 3 2021
NEWS
Ariadne Labs Co-Founder, Dr. Atul Gawande, Nominated for Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Global Health, USAID

President Biden has nominated Ariadne Labs’ founder and Chair, Atul Gawande, MD, MPH to serve as Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Global Health at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID leads the country’s international development and disaster assistance through partnerships and investments that save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people emerge from humanitarian crises and progress beyond assistance.

Jul 13 2021
NEWS
MSNBC: Doctor calls for ‘national comprehensive plan’ on virus

Dr. Atul Gawande joins MSNBC’s Morning Joe to discuss COVID-19 vaccines and national planning.

Nov 17 2020