Olli Raitakari profile picture
Olli
Raitakari
Professor, Cardiovascular Medicine (CAPC)
InFLAMES Flagship
MD/PhD

Contact

+358 29 450 2304
Kiinamyllynkatu 10
20520
Turku

Areas of expertise

cardiovascular and metabolic diseases
risk factors
vascular epidemiology
genetic epidemiology
epidemiology
dietary intervention
cohort studies
follow-up studies

Biography

EDUCATION AND DEGREES
 
2001   Docent in Clinical Physiology
1997-1999  Postdoc training, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia
1997   Docent in Epidemiology
1996   Specialist in Clinical Physiology 
1995   Doctorate, PhD
1989   Licentiate in Medicine, MD

CURRENT POSITIONS

2017-                 Professor in Cardiovascular Medicine, Director of the Research Centre of Applied and 
                          Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku, Finland                         

 

PAST POSITIONS

2012-2016                          Academy Professor, University of Turku

2007-2016                          Professor in Cardiovascular Medicine (part time), University of Turku

2007-2008                          Senior Scientist Grant, Academy of Finland

2004-2016                          Chief Physician, Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Turku
                                           University Hospital (leave of absence 2012-2016)

2002-2004                          Consultant in Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Turku University Hospital

2002 (1 mo)                        Head of Nuclear Medicine Department, Turku University Hospital

2000-2003 (3 mo)               Head of Clinical Physiology Department, Turku University Hospital

2000-2005                          Senior Fellow Post, Academy of Finland

1998-2000                          Postdoctoral Research Post, Academy of Finland

1996-1997                          Consultant in Clinical Physiology, Turku University Hospital

1991-1996                          Positions as Resident in Clinical Chemistry, Nuclear Medicine, and Clinical 
                                           Physiology, Turku University Hospital

1988-1990                          Positions as General Practioner and Resident in Internal Medicine or Surgery


Research

Evidence suggest that many non-communicable disease outcomes have roots in childhood and may even stem of adverse ancestral exposures. Improved knowledge how various ancestral and early-life exposures lead to adult disease outcomes is essential in developing better preventive practices and policies that lead to improved public health. My mission has been to contribute to this knowledge-base by working in epidemiologic cohort studies with follow-up from childhood to adulthood. I am the Principal Investigator of the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (YFS), the largest study in Europe with a follow-up of cardiovascular risk factors from childhood to adulthood. I am also the Director of the STRIP Study, which is a leading long-term pediatric dietary intervention study testing the hypothesis that modifying the fat quality diet will have beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk early in life. During the past years, I have organized several field studies in these cohorts, and introduced novel technologies, such as imaging studies, genetic epidemiology methods and metabolomics approaches in these unique population resources. Our research has contributed to the understanding of pre-clinical development of atherosclerosis in children and young adults, including the effects of diet, life-style, metabolic risk factors, psychological traits and psychosocial factors, inflammation, hormones and genetic markers. For example, by applying non-invasive imaging methods in the Young Finns Study, we have demonstrated that exposure to adverse lipids, elevated blood pressure and obesity in childhood is related to atherosclerosis development in adulthood (JAMA 2003). Subsequent work stemmed from this initial observation has led to numerous original publications that have shown in detail how exposure to a large range of aetiogenic factors early in life contribute to the development of cardio-metabolic outcomes in adulthood. For example, by pooling international i3C Consortium data, we have demonstrated that overweight or obese children who became non-obese by adulthood had similar risks of many cardio-metabolic adult outcomes as individuals who were never obese (NEJM 2011). Thus, the results of our studies have clearly demonstrated that individual’s exposure to various stressors in early life is contributing to his/her adult phenotype and disease risk. The results have had significant impact on preventive practices. As a concrete demonstration of the international recognition and impact of my team’s work, many of our studies are widely cited in all updated paediatric guidelines on cardiovascular prevention both in Europe and in US.

Publications

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A genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies new childhood obesity loci (2012)

Nature Genetics
Bradfield JP, Taal HR, Timpson NJ, Scherag A, Lecoeur C, Warrington NM, Hypponen E, Holst C, Valcarcel B, Thiering E, Salem RM, Schumacher FR, Cousminer DL, Sleiman PMA, Zhao JH, Berkowitz RI, Vimaleswaran KS, Jarick I, Pennell CE, Evans DM, St Pourcain B, Berry DJ, Mook-Kanamori DO, Hofman A, Rivadeneira F, Uitterlinden AG, van Duijn CM, van der Valk RJP, de Jongste JC, Postma DS, Boomsma DI, Gauderman WJ, Hassanein MT, Lindgren CM, Magi R, Boreham CAG, Neville CE, Moreno LA, Elliott P, Pouta A, Hartikainen AL, Li MY, Raitakari O, Lehtimaki T, Eriksson JG, Palotie A, Dallongeville J, Das S, Deloukas P, McMahon G, Ring SM, Kemp JP, Buxton JL, Blakemore AIF, Bustamante M, Guxens M, Hirschhorn JN, Gillman MW, Kreiner-Moller E, Bisgaard H, Gilliland FD, Heinrich J, Wheeler E, Barroso I, O'Rahilly S, Meirhaeghe A, Sorensen TIA, Power C, Palmer LJ, Hinney A, Widen E, Farooqi IS, McCarthy MI, Froguel P, Meyre D, Hebebrand J, Jarvelin MR, Jaddoe VWV, Smith GD, Hakonarson H, Grant SFA
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))

Genome-wide association analysis identifies susceptibility loci for migraine without aura (2012)

Nature Genetics
Freilinger T, Anttila V, de Vries B, Malik R, Kallela M, Terwindt GM, Pozo-Rosich P, Winsvold B, Nyholt DR, van Oosterhout WPJ, Artto V, Todt U, Hamalainen E, Fernandez-Morales J, Louter MA, Kaunisto MA, Schoenen J, Raitakari O, Lehtimaki T, Vila-Pueyo M, Gobel H, Wichmann E, Sintas C, Uitterlinden AG, Hofman A, Rivadeneira F, Heinze A, Tronvik E, van Duijn CM, Kaprio J, Cormand B, Wessman M, Frants RR, Meitinger T, Muller-Myhsok B, Zwart JA, Farkkila M, Macaya A, Ferrari MD, Kubisch C, Palotie A, Dichgans M, van den Maagdenberg AMJM
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))

Genome-Wide Association Studies of Asthma in Population-Based Cohorts Confirm Known and Suggested Loci and Identify an Additional Association near HLA (2012)

PLoS ONE
Ramasamy A, Kuokkanen M, Vedantam S, Gajdos ZK, Alves AC, Lyon HN, Ferreira MAR, Strachan DP, Zhao JH, Abramson MJ, Brown MA, Coin L, Dharmage SC, Duffy DL, Haahtela T, Heath AC, Janson C, Kahonen M, Khaw KT, Laitinen J, Le Souef P, Lehtimaki T, Madden PAF, Marks GB, Martin NG, Matheson MC, Palmer CD, Palotie A, Pouta A, Robertson CF, Viikari J, Widen E, Wjst M, Jarvis DL, Montgomery GW, Thompson PJ, Wareham N, Eriksson J, Jousilahti P, Laitinen T, Pekkanen J, Raitakari OT, O'Connor GT, Salomaa V, Jarvelin MR, Hirschhorn JN
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))

A genome-wide meta-analysis of association studies of Cloninger's Temperament Scales (2012)

Translational Psychiatry
Service SK, Verweij KJH, Lahti J, Congdon E, Ekelund J, Hintsanen M, Raikkonen K, Lehtimaki T, Kahonen M, Widen E, Taanila A, Veijola J, Heath AC, Madden PAF, Montgomery GW, Sabatti C, Jarvelin MR, Palotie A, Raitakari O, Viikari J, Martin NG, Eriksson JG, Keltikangas-Jarvinen L, Wray NR, Freimer NB
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))

Common variants at 12q15 and 12q24 are associated with infant head circumference (2012)

Nature Genetics
Taal HR, St Pourcain B, Thiering E, Das S, Mook-Kanamori DO, Warrington NM, Kaakinen M, Kreiner-Moller E, Bradfield JP, Freathy RM, Geller F, Guxens M, Cousminer DL, Kerkhof M, Timpson NJ, Ikram MA, Beilin LJ, Bonnelykke K, Buxton JL, Charoen P, Chawes BLK, Eriksson J, Evans DM, Hofman A, Kemp JP, Kim CE, Klopp N, Lahti J, Lye SJ, McMahon G, Mentch FD, Muller-Nurasyid M, O'Reilly PF, Prokopenko I, Rivadeneira F, Steegers EAP, Sunyer J, Tiesler C, Yaghootkar H, Breteler MMB, Debette S, Fornage M, Gudnason V, Launer LJ, van der Lugt A, Mosley TH, Seshadri S, Smith AV, Vernooij MW, Blakemore AIF, Chiavacci RM, Feenstra B, Fernandez-Banet J, Grant SFA, Hartikainen AL, van der Heijden AJ, Iniguez C, Lathrop M, McArdle WL, Molgaard A, Newnham JP, Palmer LJ, Palotie A, Pouta A, Ring SM, Sovio U, Standl M, Uitterlinden AG, Wichmann HE, Vissing NH, DeCarli C, van Duijn CM, McCarthy MI, Koppelman GH, Estivill X, Hattersley AT, Melbye M, Bisgaard H, Pennell CE, Widen E, Hakonarson H, Smith GD, Heinrich J, Jarvelin MR, Jaddoe VWV, Adair LS, Ang W, Atalay M, van Beijsterveldt T, Bergen N, Benke K, Berry D, Bradfield JP, Charoen P, Coin L, Cousminer DL, Das S, Davis OSP, Elliott P, Evans DM, Feenstra B, Flexeder C, Frayling T, Freathy RM, Gaillard R, Geller F, Groen-Blokhuis M, Goh LK, Guxens M, Haworth CMA, Hadley D, Hedebrand J, Hinney A, Hirschhorn JN, Holloway JW, Holst C, Hottenga JJ, Horikoshi M, Huikari V, Hypponen E, Iniguez C, Kaakinen M, Kilpelainen TO, Kirin M, Kowgier M, Lakka HM, Lange LA, Lawlor DA, Lehtimaki T, Lewin A, Lindgren C, Lindi V, Maggi R, Marsh J, Middeldorp C, Millwood I, Mook-Kanamori DO, Murray JC, Nivard M, Nohr EA, Ntalla I, Oken E, O'Reilly PF, Palmer LJ, Panoutsopoulou K, Pararajasingham J, Prokopenko I, Rodriguez A, Salem RM, Sebert S, Siitonen N, Sovio U, St Pourcain B, Strachan DP, Sunyer J, Taal HR, Teo YY, Thiering E, Tiesler C, Uitterlinden AG, Valcarcel B, Warrington NM, White S, Willemsen G, Yaghootkar H, Zeggini E, Boomsma DI, Cooper C, Estivill X, Gillman M, Grant SFA, Hakonarson H, Hattersley AT, Heinrich J, Hocher B, Jaddoe VWV, Jarvelin MR, Lakka TA, McCarthy MI, Melbye M, Mohlke KL, Dedoussis GV, Ong KK, Pearson ER, Pennell CE, Price TS, Power C, Raitakari OT, Saw SM, Scherag A, Simell O, Sorensen TIA, Timpson NJ, Widen E, Wilson JF, Ang W, van Beijsterveldt T, Bergen N, Benke K, Berry D, Bradfield JP, Charoen P, Coin L, Cousminer DL, Das S, Elliott P, Evans DM, Frayling T, Freathy RM, Gaillard R, Groen-Blokhuis M, Guxens M, Hadley D, Hottenga JJ, Huikari V, Hypponen E, Kaakinen M, Kowgier M, Lawlor DA, Lewin A, Lindgren C, Marsh J, Middeldorp C, Millwood I, Mook-Kanamori DO, Nivard M, O'Reilly PF, Palmer LJ, Prokopenko I, Rodriguez A, Sebert S, Sovio U, St Pourcain B, Standl M, Strachan DP, Sunyer J, Taal HR, Thiering E, Tiesler C, Uitterlinden AG, Valcarcel B, Warrington NM, White S, Willemsen G, Yaghootkar H, Boomsma DI, Estivill X, Grant SFA, Hakonarson H, Hattersley AT, Heinrich J, Jaddoe VWV, Jarvelin MR, McCarthy MI, Pennell CE, Power C, Timpson NJ, Widen E, Ikram MA, Fornage M, Smith AV, Seshadri S, Schmidt R, Debette S, Vrooman HA, Sigurdsson S, Ropele S, Coker LH, Longstreth WT, Niessen WJ, DeStefano AL, Beiser A, Zijdenbos AP, Struchalin M, Jack CR, Nalls MA, Au R, Hofman A, Gudnason H, van der Lugt A, Harris TB, Meeks WM, Vernooij MW, van Buchem MA, Catellier D, Gudnason V, Windham BG, Wolf PA, van Duijn CM, Mosley TH, Schmidt H, Launer LJ, Breteler MMB, DeCarli C
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))