Liisa Lehtonen profile picture
Liisa
Lehtonen
Professor, Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
MD, Professor in Pediatrics

Contact

Links

ORCID

Areas of expertise

Neonatology
Preterm infants, Quality improvement
Family Centered Care
Developmental outcomes of preterm infants
Centralization

Biography


Professor Liisa Lehtonen, MD, is the Head of the Division of Neonatology at Turku University Hospital in Turku, Finland. Her research interest is to optimize the longterm outcomes of preterm infants. She leads the PIPARI Study group which has followed 232 very preterm infants since year 2001 (www.utu.fi/pipari) with the aim to identify risks and protective factors for the brain development of preterm infants. As parents' active participation in neonatal care seems to be an essential protective factor for longterm outcomes of preterm infants, professor Lehtonen and her team have developed an intervention to improve the skills of neonatal staff to collaborate with parents. The Close Collaboration with Parents training program is an intervention to make a change in neonatal care culture. A multidimensional implementation and evaluation study is ongoing to measure the impacts of the training from the perspectives of the staff, parents and the child.     

Teaching

Professor Lehtonen is the chairperson of the Committee of Specialist Training at University of Turku. She represents University of Turku in the National Committee for Specialist Training at the Ministry of Health and Welfare.  

Research

Professor Liisa Lehtonen has got her post-doc research training at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She is leading large, longterm follow up studies at University of Turku related to the outcomes of preterm infants. Her interest is to find out care strategies protecting brain development and, thereby, optimizing the longterm developmental outcomes of preterm infants. The PIPARI Study (2001-) follows 232 very preterm infants (www.utu.fi/pipari). The implementation and evaluation study of the Close Collaboration with Parents training program studies how parents' presence and involvement can be supported in neonatal intensive care units and how parent-infant closeness affects child, parent and staff outcomes. The Close Collaboration with Parents training program has been implemented in 11 hospitals and two new units will start the program in 2018.

Professor Lehtonen has also led the PERFECT Preterm Study showing the benefits of centralizing preterm births to level III hospitals. She continues register studies as a part of iNeo Research group led from Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Canada.  

Publications

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Parent-infant closeness after preterm birth and depressive symptoms: A longitudinal study (2022)

Frontiers in Psychology
Lehtonen Liisa, Lilliesköld Siri, De Coen Kris, Toome Liis, Gimeno Ana, Caballero Sylvia, Tameliene Rasa, Laroche Sabine, Retpap Jana, Grundt Hege, Van Hoestenberghe Marie-Rose, Skene Caryl, Pape Bernd, Axelin Anna; (on behalf of the Separation, Closeness Experiences in Neonatal Environment (SCENE) research group)
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))

Symptoms of depression in parents after discharge from NICU associated with family-centred care (2022)

Journal of Advanced Nursing
Axelin Anna, Feeley Nancy, Cambell-Yeo Marsha, Tandberg Bente Silnes, Szczapa Tomas, Wielenga Joke, Weis Janne, Bosnjak Aita Pavicic, Jonsdottir Rakel B, George Kendall, Blomqvist Ylva T, Bohlin Kajsa, Lehtonen Liisa; Separation and Closeness Experiences in Neonatal Environment (SCENE) research group
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))

International network for evaluating outcomes of neonates: outputs and future directions (2022)

Pediatric Medicine
Shah P.S., Isayama T., Helenius K.K., Feliciano L.S., Beltempo M., Bassler D., Håkansson S., Rusconi F., Modi N., Battin M., Vento M., Adams M., Lehtonen L., Norman M., Kusuda S., Reichman B., Lui K., Lee S.K.; the International Network for Evaluating Outcomes of Neonates (iNeo)
(Vertaisarvioitu katsausartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A2))

Maternal education and cognitive development in 15 European very-preterm birth cohorts from the RECAP Preterm platform (2021)

International Journal of Epidemiology
Sentenac Mariane, Benhammou Valérie, Aden Ulrika, Ancel Pierre-Yves, Bakker Leonhard A, Bakoy Hannah, Barros Henrique, Baumann Nicole, Bilsteen Josephine Funck, Boerch Klaus, Croci Ileana, Cuttini Marina, Draper Elizabeth, Halvorsen Thomas, Johnson Samantha, Källén Karin, Land Tuuli, Lebeer Jo, Lehtonen Liisa, Maier Rolf F, Marlow Neil, Morgan Andrei, Ni Yanyan, Raikkonen Katri, Rtimi Anass, Sarrechia Iemke, Varendi Heili, Vollsaeter Maria, Wolke Dieter, Ylijoki Milla, Zeitlin Jennifer
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))
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