Areas of expertise
Biography
Degrees and competences
- Licenciate of Medicine, 1988, University of Turku, Finland; Doctor of Medical Sciences (M.D., Ph.D.) 1990, University of Turku; Docent in Molecular Medicine, University of Turku.
- Specialist Qualification in Management 2007; General teacher qualification (university pedagogics 60 ECTS), 2014, University of Turku; Special Competence in Medical Education, 2014; Training in practical academic leadership, 2017, TSE
Current tasks
- Clinical lecturer in Molecular Medicine
- Director of Research Track in Molecular Medicine
- Deputy director of Institute of Biomedicine (education)
Previous
- University of Turku: various research and teaching positions at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine (assistant, university teacher, clinical lecturer, associate professor, professor)
- National Institute of Health and Welfare: special investigator
- Academy of Finland: research programme coordinator
- Turku Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (TuBS): coordinator
Teaching
Interest areas:
- Medical education; molecular medicine; genome medicine;
Teaching responsibilities:
- Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine
- Research Track in Molecular Medicine
- Postgraduate education (doctoral programmes and InFLAMES Flagship)
Other:
- The Finnish Medical Society Duodecim: Head of education at the Turku region
Research
Lymphatic and vascular endothelium plays a pivotal role in leukocyte and cancer cell migration by expressing counter-receptors for the cell-surface molecules on the migrating cells that mediate trafficking. My research focuses on investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying these interactions and studying the functional role of the individual molecules in various disease processes. Special emphasis is on the roles of the large, multi-domain cell-surface molecule CLEVER-1, and the ecto-enzymes VAP-1 and CD73 in various human cancers.