Rifat Latifi, MD, FACS, FICFKCS
Rifat Latifi, MD, FACS, FKCS, FICS, currently is a trauma and general surgeon at Abrazo Health West campus, Phoenix Arizona, and a Chairman of Surgery Consultants International LLC, Tucson, Arizona and a former Minister of Health of the Republic of Kosova. He is an adjunct professor of Surgery at the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona and former Chairman and tenured Professor of Surgery at New York Medical College, School of Medicine and Director of the Department of Surgery at Westchester Medical Center Health Network in Valhalla, New York. He is Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), Fellow of International College of Surgeons (ICS), and of a Fellow and founding President of Kosova College of Surgeons (KCS) (www.koscs.org) and Editor-in-Chief of the Kosova Journal of Surgery. He was a Medical Director of Hamad Trauma Center, January 11-2011 to January 11, 2014.
Beside trauma and general surgery, Dr. Latifi is focused on mitigating health disparities and improving quality access to healthcare services using a multipronged approach that includes legislation, healthcare worker well-being, improving hospital infrastructure, and advancing clinical training. Dr. Latifi is recognized as one of the authorities in telemedicine and telehealth and established the first teletrauma and telepresence program in Arizona, the Southern Arizona Telemedicine and Telepresence in 2004. Dr. Latifi has served in leadership roles stateside and internationally, including an appointment as Director of the Trauma Center at Hamad General Hospital, the only Level I trauma center in Doha, Qatar, and as Minister of Health for Kosovo. He has authored and co-authored more than 300 peer-reviewed articles and over 140 book chapters, and published 20 books in various surgical topics, such as surgical decision making, geriatrics, and complex abdominal wall defects, as well as telemedicine, telepresence and e-health. Additionally, Dr. Latifi serves on the editorial boards of several international surgical peer-review journals.
As a surgeon with great global interest, Dr. Latifi accepted an invitation to become the Minister of Health of Kosova, his home country, where he finished medical school, and introduced major transformation initiatives and a new model in the healthcare system. Dr. Latifi identified seven major pillars of transformation, initiated the creation of 15 clinical centers and programs of excellence, and 22 clinical fellowships.
Recognized as one of the authorities in telemedicine and telehealth in the world, Dr. Latifi has used these tools to increase access to care and rebuild healthcare systems in the developing world, post-conflict countries, and rural America. He created and led three national telemedicine programs in Kosovo (2002), Albania (2007), and Cabo Verde, Africa (2012). Additionally, he served as one of the principals of telemedicine in Vietnam (2014). Dr. Latifi also established the first teletrauma and telepresence program in Arizona, the Southern Arizona Telemedicine and Telepresence (SATT) in 2004, for which he received the 2015 American College of Surgeons (ACS)/Pfizer International Surgical Volunteerism award and “The 21 Century Achievement Award for Health”.
