Dr. Asaf Bitton offers guidance on family celebrations and travel.
As Executive Director, Dr. Bitton has led efforts globally and nationally to transform primary health care delivery systems and create high quality, integrated care models. His blog on “This is Not a Snow Day” helped spark a national discussion on ways of physical and social distancing to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Bitton’s clinical area of expertise and innovation is in the area of team-based primary care for patients with complex psychosocial and clinical needs. The opportunity to serve these patients by creating a new, team-based primary care practice built from the ground up in 2010 has deeply informed his work on a local, national, and global level.
He practices adult general internal medicine and serves as the assistant medical director at the Brigham and Women’s Advanced Primary Care Associates, South Huntington, an innovative, patient-centered medical home in Jamaica Plain, Mass. Formerly the director of the Ariadne Labs Primary Health Care Program, Bitton is a leader of the Primary Health Care Performance Initiative, launched in 2015 at the United Nations. He has served as a senior advisor to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation since 2012. The author of more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, Bitton has led research on both disease-specific public health research efforts, as well as primary care measurement and improvement.
Areas of expertise:
Community mitigation, including social distancing
Pandemic preparedness
The future of primary health care
Outpatient care
Health care systems
Dr. Bitton in the News
Popular Science: You’re vaccinated. Now what?
Dr. Asaf Bitton in Popular Science on the CDC guidelines for people who are vaccinated.
Salon: How one tiny country is beating the pandemic and climate change
Salon covers the Atlantic's piece on Bhutan's pandemic response.
New York Times: Primary Care Doctors Are Left Out of the Vaccine Rollout
Dr. Asaf BItton notes the key role of primary care doctors in the effort to reach herd immunity.
The Atlantic: The Unlikeliest Pandemic Success Story
Dr. Asaf Bitton comments on public health lessons that the U.S. can learn from other countries.
New York Times: Super Bowl Party or Superspreader Event?
Dr. Asaf Bitton in the New York Times on how to avoid hosting a superspreader Super Bowl Party.
EdSurge: How the Race Between Vaccinations and COVID Variants Affects School Reopening
Dr. Asaf Bitton joins EdSurge podcast to discuss the factors affecting school reopening this year.
New York Times: When the Weather Outside Is Frightful, Here’s How to Stay Warm
Dr. Asaf Bitton on taking holiday celebrations outdoors this holiday season.
WBUR: ‘Make It A Different Thanksgiving’: Dr. Asaf Bitton On The One-Household Holiday
Dr. Asaf Bitton joins CommonHealth to discuss how Thanksgiving will look different during the COVID-19 pandemic.
New York Times: How Do I Make Thanksgiving Grocery Shopping Safer?
Dr. Asaf Bitton on safety precautions to take when grocery shopping during the holiday season.
New York Times: How Can My College Student Come Home Safely for Thanksgiving?
Dr. Asaf Bitton weighs in on the risks facing families this Thanksgiving
New York Times: Serve Up Some Extra Precautions at Your Thanksgiving Table This Year
Dr. Asaf Bitton comments on the risks associated with Thanksgiving gatherings.
Center for Houston’s Future Webcast: Building Public Trust in Communications about COVID-19
This webcast, presented by Center for Houston’s Future and Leadership Now, focuses on ways to build public trust in communicating about the pandemic and what strategies policymakers and health officials can use to...
Parabola Project Launches
Aims to Help Schools Minimize COVID-19 Health Risks & Maximize Learning
New York Times: The Many Symptoms of Covid-19
Dr. Asaf Bitton in the New York Times on the surprising nature of COVID-19.
HealthLeaders: Exchange: Three Big Ideas
Dr. Asaf Bitton on Ariadne Labs' Serious Illness Care program in HealthLeaders Innovation
HSPH: Lessons from Japan’s COVID-19 response
The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health covers latest Health Affairs piece of Japan's COVID-19 response
Advisory Board: Are outdoor gatherings safe? Here’s what experts say.
Dr. Asaf Bitton quoted in the Advisory Board's latest on staying safe at outdoor gatherings.
babycenter: Pregnancy and the coronavirus: Symptoms, social distancing, and staying calm
Dr. Asaf Bitton's social distancing guidance is highlighted by babycenter.
New York Times: How Safe Are Outdoor Gatherings?
Dr. Asaf Bitton weighs in on the risks of attending outdoor gatherings during the pandemic.
WCVB Boston: Millions expected to travel by car because of COVID-19
Dr. Asaf Bitton on tips to stay safe when traveling for the 4th of July holiday.
New York Times: A Virus Walks Into a Bar …
Dr. Asaf Bitton quoted in the New York Times on the public health concerns of people returning to the bar scene during the pandemic
HSPH Magazine: Q&A: Lessons from a Pandemic: Asaf Bitton, MPH ’10
Dr. Asaf Bitton spoke this spring with Madeline Drexler, editor of Harvard Public Health Magazine.
The New Yorker: How to Social-Distance as America Opens Back Up
Dr. Asaf Bitton discusses the risks of socializing indoors, the problem of public bathrooms, and why doctors have changed the way they think about masks.
WCVB Boston: When Can I See My Family & Friends
Dr. Asaf Bitton shares best practices for seeing family and friends during the COVID-19 pandemic.
MedPage Today: Can PCPs Survive COVID-19? Only If Fee-for-Service Goes
Dr. Asaf Bitton is quoted in MedPage Today on why primary care practices need new ways of being paid if they are going to survive and thrive in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Center for Houston’s Future Leadership Webcast w/ Dr. Asaf Bitton and Scott McClelland
Dr. Asaf Bitton and Scott McClelland of H-E-B Food/Drug Stores on the Center for Houston's Future webcast.
New York Times: When Can I See My Grandkids?
Dr. Asaf Bitton comments on strategies that families can take to begin seeing each other during the pandemic.
