In memory of Mateusz Zygmunt Zatoński (1987-2022)

On the 14th of May 2022, among members of family, colleagues, and friends, with immense sadness we said farewell to Dr. Mateusz Zatoński – dear Matteo – who passed away prematurely at the age of 34 on 17th of January this year in London, losing the fight against a very rare type of cancer. I would like to write a few words because we were co-workers at the Institute – European Observatory of Health Inequalities at Calisia University, in the editorial team of the “Journal of Health Inequalities” and the Health Promotion Foundation. My history of work with Professor Witold Zatoński and friendship with his family began in 2001, so I remember Mateusz as a teenager. With great pleasure and admiration, I was able to observe his dynamic development and career, how this boy turned into a wise man, how he built friendships and the most important beautiful relationship of his life, how he entered his adult life, how he was successful in his work. Despite his young age, the list of his interests and achievements is remarkably long.
Doctor Mateusz Zygmunt Zatoński was one of the most talented scientists. In 2006, he started his studies at the University of Oxford. He continued his education in the Departments of History and Politics at the University of Glasgow, where he graduated with honours in both. At the same time, he was engaged in many activities. For a year he was an assistant to a Member of the British Parliament, and a journalist and editor of the scientific student journal “Slovo”. For a year he studied at the University of California in Berkeley, where he assisted Professor Jason Wittenberg in research on the history of Central Europe. He was the founder of the Polish Society of Students at the University of Glasgow. After graduating from Glasgow University, he graduated with honours from Central and Southeastern Europe Studies at UCL – University College London, and then earned his Masters and PhD in History and Public Health, both from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In 2019, he joined the University of Bath as a Research Fellow in the Tobacco Control Research Group. As part of this role, Mateusz contributed to research commissioned by the global regulator of the tobacco industry, STOP. Mateusz led a team researching the impact of the tobacco industry on health policy, both at the global and national levels, and developing ways to solve this problem. While being a student, he very quickly found his place in research on the...


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