Dr Mateusz Zatoński (1987-2022)
Sad announcement of the death of Dr Mateusz Zatoński
It is with immense sadness that we announce that Dr Mateusz (Matteo) Zatoński died of a very rare cancer
in hospital in London on 17 January 2022, following a short period of illness.
He worked and lived his life to the fullest till the end.
He left this world far too soon, but peacefully and with his beloved wife and partner of 16 years, Dr
Aleksandra (Ola) Herbeć, by his side.
An SRNT-E member and leading light in the international tobacco control community, he achieved much in
his 34 short but prodigious years.
Having graduated with first-class honours in history and politics from Glasgow, he then achieved a
distinction in his MA in Central and South-East European Studies at University College London, followed by
a MSc and a PhD in Public Health, both from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
A prodigious polymath, he spoke Czech, English, French, Italian and Russian, in addition to his native
Polish. He published extensively, with over 60 outputs to his name, making vital contributions to public
health globally, but most notably in central and eastern Europe.
In addition to his brilliance, it is his humanity, humour and generosity that will be missed the most. We
extend our deepest sympathy to Aleksandra, his parents Professor Witold and Mrs Jadwiga Zatoński, his four
older brothers, Paweł, Witek, Marcin and Mario, his wider family, friends, and colleagues and research
collaborators worldwide.
There will be a family funeral in his native Poland later in the year, with a celebration of his life and
a full obituary to follow.
His wife and father invite Mateusz’s colleagues to share their thoughts and memories of his vibrant
academic and professional life and friendships on this
memory board.
