Group leader
Professor Hannele Laivuori
Hannele Laivuori MD, PhD, is the Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University. She holds a title of docent in Medical Genetics at the University of Helsinki (2007). She has a specialist degree in obstetrics and gynecology (1998) and in clinical genetics (2005). She did her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh, Magee Women’s Research Institute, which is one of the largest institutes dedicated to reproductive biology and women’s health in the Unites States, and at the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
Her main research interest is hypertensive pregnancy disorders. The impact of these disorders is not limited to obstetric and pediatric domains. They are also associated with increased risk of cardiometabolic disorders in later life of the mother and the child. Her group investigates genetic susceptibility, molecular mechanisms, risk factors, and implications for later life of these disorders and performs intervention studies. She is a chair of the Women’s health and reproduction expert group in the FinnGen project and participates in the research of its Task Forces (polycystic ovary syndrome, fatty liver disease, primary ovarian failure, endometriosis, cervical dysplasia and ovarian cancer).
She is a vice chair of the Tampere Center for Child, Adolescent and Maternal Health Research (TamCAM) and a president elect of the Finnish Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
She leads the group preparing national Current Care Guideline for hypertension in pregnancy and pre-eclampsia.
She is funded by the Academy of Finland (EraPerMed funding under Horizon 2020), Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation, Finska Läkaresällskapet, The Competitive State Research Financing of the Expert Responsibility area of Tampere University Hospital and Tampere University Foundation.
Senior Researchers
Tiina Jääskeläinen
Senior researcher (PhD, adj. professor in nutrigenetics), university lecturer and clinical nutritionist working at the University of Helsinki. Co-PI in the ongoing FINNCARE Study which explores the impact of pre-eclampsia on long-term cardiovascular health not only in women with a history of pre-eclampsia but also in their children and partners. |
Venla Kurra
Venla Kurra has graduated as a Licentiate of Medicine from the University of Tampere in 2008, and as a specialist in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2018. Since then she has been doing her second specialization in Clinical genetics. Aside from her clinical work, she is currently finalizing her thesis on the vascular and renal effects of hyperuricemia. Venla Kurra has been working as an expert secretary of Women´s Health and Reproduction clinical expert group in FinnGen research project since fall 2020. |
Elli Toivonen
E-mail: elli.maria.toivonen@gmail.com |
Jaakko Tyrmi |
Pia Maria Villa
has a Medical Degree (MD) from the University of Helsinki (1997) and she has specialised in Obstetrics and Gynecology in the University of Helsinki (2014). She was involved in the collection of the Predo cohort and her PhD thesis (2017, University of Helsinki) in Obstetrics and Gynecology concerned prediction and prevention of pre-eclampsia. She is a docent in Obstetrics and Gynecology (2021, University of Helsinki). She is a member of current care guidelines group involved with updating the national recommendations for treatment and follow-up of hypertension in pregnancy.
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Anita Virtanen
Contact: anita.virtanen@fimnet.fi |
Dr. Elli Toivonen received her Medical Degree (MD) in 2012 from Tampere University. Her PhD thesis (also from Tampere University) was completed in 2018 and focused on vaginal breech delivery. She is currently specialising in Obstetrics and Gynecology and working as a resident in Tampere University Hospital. Her research interests include hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, breech presentation and maternal childbirth experience.
Dr. Anita Virtanen has graduated from Tampere University in 2004. She has first specialized in obstetrics and gynecology (2013), and later she has made subspeciality in maternal-fetal medicine. Currently, she is working as an obstetrician at Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics in Tampere University Hospital. Additionally, she is employed at Tampere University of Applied Sciences as a lecturer of obstetrics. She is finalizing her PhD thesis on angiogenesis in pre-eclampsia.Researchers
Elli Hanski
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Eeva Pohjonen
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Jutta Sikkinen
E-mail: jutta.sikkinen@tuni.fi |
Anna Kivioja
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Dr. Hanski has a Medical Degree (MD) from the University of Tampere (2015). She has worked in Medical Genetics Department in Tampere University Hospital since 2017. She is specializing in Clinical Genetics. She has started her PhD work on pregnancies of women with rare diseases.
Dr Pohjonen has a medical degree (MD, 2006) and a specialist degree in Obstetrics and Gynecology (2017), both from Tampere University. She is currently working as a specialist doctor at Tampere University Hospital, department of gynecological endocrinology. She is a doctoral student at University of Tampere since 2020 and her main study focus is risks concerning infertility care.
Jutta Sikkinen has a Medical Degree (MD) from the University of Tampere (1990). She has worked as a clinician both in Primary Health Care and Obstetrics and Gynecology. She specialized in Obstetrics and Gynecology (2003) and Perinatology (2006) in Tampere University. Currently she works as a clinical lecturer and specialist obstetrician in Tampere University and Tampere University Hospital. She is a researcher in PREMIuM project.
Previous Group members
Tiina Järvelä |
Sonja Eronen |