TalkTogether – Well-being: How to Live a Healthy Life?

Saija Inkeroinen is a nurse and a University of Turku doctoral researcher in nursing science. Her research focuses on patient rights and areas of interest include patient empowerment and patient education.

Sirpa Jalkanen is one of the world’s leading researchers of the migration mechanisms of immune cells. Among her key accomplishments are the discovery and characterization of trafficking molecules that regulate inflammatory diseases and the spread of cancer. Together with her research team, she has produced a number of groundbreaking results and innovative observations that have turned previously held conceptions about immunology and vascular biology on their heads. She conducts high-risk, high-gain research with potential to yield significant results to advance the treatment of severe inflammatory diseases and prevent the spread of cancer. Sirpa Jalkanen received the honorary title of Academician of Science in 2015 and she leads the InFLAMES Flagship funded by Academy of Finland.

Katja Joronen is professor at the Department of Nursing Science in University of Turku. The professorship has the main emphasis in the Health Choices of Population and Health Promotion. Joronen’s main research interest is in health, well-being and health promotion of children, adolescents and their families in general population, especially in school context, health and social care and digital environments. She has conducted as principal investigator mixed-methods research, intervention studies and various literature reviews and she has expertice in using secondary data, mostly from large-scale and population-based data settings.

Sami Kalaja from Jyväskylä, Finland works as a Professor of Practice in Sport in the University of Jyväskylä. Sami’s task is to build a sport path that helps student athletes to combine studying and training. Sami’s working career started as a gymnastic coach and was the head coach for Finnish national team in men’s gymnastics as well as having the role as head coach Finnish national team in sport aerobics. After coaching Sami went to the school world, first a physical education teacher and later a principal in secondary school. From principal’s position he moved to the Research Institute for Olympic Sports, and held the role of director. Sami is also currently a visiting professor in Lapland University of Applied Sciences.¨ Sami’s PhD was about motor skill learning. How we learn, teach and coach sporting skills, has been his biggest motivator and area of expertise for decades. At the moment his greatest inspirators are three grandchildren. It is very rewarding to see how they learn and how it is possible to support their development.

Hasse Karlsson is a pioneering researcher in brain development with an extensive career as a psychiatrist. He was appointed as a Professor of Integrative Neuroscience and Psychiatry at the University of Turku, where he founded the FinnBrain Birth Cohort together with Linnea Karlsson, one of the largest and most versatile birth cohorts in the world. He is currently the new Chair of Neurocenter Finland’s National Steering Board, a new step to strengthen neuroscience in Finland.

PhD Harry Köhler  is a researcher and developer in effective patient-physician communication. At the University of Turku he works as a research manager in the Healing Communication project, which produces evidence-based and practically applicable research and education on effective patient communication.  The project is funded by the Wihuri Foundation and Bayer.

Tiina Parviainen is an associate professor of neuroscience at the Department of Psychology and a director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Research (CIBR) at the University of Jyväskylä. Her group's research promotes the interpretability of brain imaging measures in order to better benefit neuroscience knowledge e.g. in clinical, developmental and educational context. This is achieved, first, by elucidating the biological determinants behind specific neuroimaging markers and, second, by revealing how neuroimaging markers reflect measures of behavior and experience. Her group also seeks to understand the different ways in which the body and brain systems interact and how this affects the brain, behavior, and experience in short- and longterm. Ultimately, this work increases neuroscience understanding in individual and developmental variation.

Johanna Ruusuvuori is professor of social psychology at the Faculty of Social Sciences, in Tampere University. Her research interests include emotion in social interaction, social interaction at work, worklife participation and human-centered technology design for healthy aging. Her current research projects include e.g. Reliable knowledge for health care: process and practice of shared decision making; Touch and affect in health care interaction and; Human-centered solar smart technology design for healthy aging.

Health, diagnostics and drug development (HDDD) is one of the six strategic research and education profiles of the University of Turku. It focuses on research which creates medical and technological breakthroughs to advance population health. Turku region has a strong expertise cluster in health research where scientific research, public healthcare, and versatile business life meet.

Health Campus Turku is a significant multidisciplinary knowledge cluster within medicine, social and health care and technology which offers unique opportunities for research, innovation and corporate collaboration. 

The InFLAMES Flagship is a joint organization of the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University aiming at being an internationally recognized, top-level, immunological research and development cluster that will be globally attractive both for researchers and business partners. InFLAMES is part of the Academy of Finland's Flagship Programme.

The Faculty of Medicine celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2023. Since 1943, the Faculty has been an active health and well-being promoter and a regional influencer. Throughout the year, the Faculty will organise versatile events, to which everyone are warmly welcome.