Professor Risto Kaaja (MD, PhD, University of Helsinki) studied medicine in the Faculté Libre de Médecine de Lille, France and specialized in internal medicine in 1986. Thereafter by clinical work in the Women´s Hospital of Helsinki University Hospital (1986-2008) and research became a specialist in obstetric medicine. In January 2009 he was appointed as Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Turku.

Pr. Kaaja has over 200 original publications, 50 reviews in international and local medical journals and books. His main interests have been related to interactions between different medical conditions and pregnancy, above all pre-eclampsia and it´s connections to cardiovascular health later in women´s life. In 2005 he wrote a review on this topic (Pregnancy- a window to women´s health) in JAMA with Pr Ian Greer. He has also written many papers on autoimmune diseases, thromboembolic complications and treatment with low molecular weight heparins. In diabetes, his studies have covered introductions of new insulin analogues during pregnancy and he has been investigator in all pivotal insulin analogue studies concerning safety and efficacy during pregnancy. He has been supervisor in 10 thesis, and opponent in 11 thesis in Finland and abroad.

Teaching responsabilities: 1) Internal medicine and obstetric medicine for medical students and future dentists, 2) Internal medicine specialisation programme for MDs

Special interest areas: obstetric medicine, diabetes and metabolic syndrome in women, gender differences in internal medicine