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Biography
I work as an associate professor (tenure track) in adolescent psychiatry and I have been the responsible teacher for adolescent psychiatry at the University of Turku since 2018. I am responsible for the education of medical students in adolescent psychiatry and both the specialist and doctoral training in the field. I am a specialist in adolescent psychiatry and a psychotherapy trainer (cognitive behavioral therapy). I also have a special competence in medical education and adolescent health.
Teaching
Teaching of adolescent psychiatry for medical students takes place during the fourth year of studies in connection with the course in psychiatry. During the course the students have also the opportunity to complete an optional course in adolescent psychiatry. Specialist training in adolescent psychiatry has two main components: a structured seminar program and competence-based teaching. The seminar program consists of seminars of adolescent psychiatry, which are complemented with seminars from the child and adult psychiatry specialization programs as well. Competence-based teaching is based on specific learning objectives set for the clinical service, guidance provided by personal tutors and regular assessments. We use national Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) in the competence assessments and I actively develop our competence-based teaching.
Research
Currently, my research work focuses on three themes: 1) epidemiological research, 2) patient research, and 3) intervention research. In relation to the themes, I have both my own research projects and work as a collaborator in projects led by others. I am the principal investigator in the following research projects: AVAIN JR (Anorexia Nervosa and its effects on brain function, body metabolism and their interaction in adolescents), Emotions and well-being in adolescents, and alexithymia research in the FinnBrain research project (https://www.finnbrain.fi). Additionally, I have significant collaboration with, for example, the LANUPS consortium project https://sites.utu.fi/sote/yhteistyo-ja-hankkeet/hankkeet/lanups/) ja the PIPARI research project (https://sites.utu.fi/pipari/).