MD, PhD, Specialist in General Practice

Professor (tenure track) in General Practice

I'm responsible for the postgraduate education in General Practice.

Principal Investigator of KESÄLATU Study and Co-Director of Diabetes Care Pathway Research

I lead and co-direct research projects focused on maternal and child health as well as diabetes care pathways in Finland.

1. Keski-Satakunta Maternity and Child Health Clinic Study (KESÄLATU)
I founded and serve as the responsible principal investigator for the KESÄLATU study. Between September 2016 and December 2019, the study collected data from pregnant women attending their first maternity clinic visit in the Keski-Satakunta (KSTHKY), their partners, and their newborns. It follows pregnancy progression and maternal and child health up to the child’s age of 1.5 years. The dataset is unique in its comprehensive coverage of the entire municipal area and includes routinely collected clinic information, parental attachment development, and tobacco product use during and after pregnancy.

2. Functionality and Costs of the Care Pathway for Diabetes Patients
As Deputy Director, I contribute to a large-scale research project examining the prevalence, incidence, treatment balance, risk factors, comorbidities, medication adherence, and costs related to prediabetes, diabetes, and gestational diabetes in Southwest Finland. The study evaluates equity in care across regions and investigates whether treatment quality, continuity, and early intervention influence complications and associated costs.
The research is based on a retrospective registry analysis using data from primary and specialized healthcare, including laboratory results, diagnoses, and cost information, as well as prescription purchase and reimbursement data from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) for 2005–2022. Additionally, a gestational diabetes cohort is being collected to explore factors such as maternal body size and its impact on glucose tolerance and pregnancy complications.

I'm also expirienced in utilizing the Finnish Medical Registers e.g., the Medical Birth Register.