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 JääskeläinenSenior 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 KurraVenla 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 Tyrmiis a geneticist with a background in bioinformatics and evolutionary biology. He has a doctoral degree from University of Oulu (2020). He is currently apostdoctoral fellow in Obstetrics and Clinical Genetics research group (Prof. Hannele Laivuori) in University of Tampere and in Computational Medicine group (Prof. Johannes Kettunen) in University of Oulu. Most of his research projects are related to uncovering genetic risk factors to women’s health related disorders, such as polycystic ovary syndrome and pre-eclampsia. |
Pia Maria Villahas 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 |
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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Previous Group members
Tiina Järvelä |
Sonja Eronen |