Markus Juonala profile picture
Markus
Juonala
Professor, Internal Medicine
Professor
Cardiovascular epidemiology, Young Finns Study, i3c consortium

Contact

+358 29 450 2754
+358 50 478 3572

Areas of expertise

Internal medicine
endocrinology
cardiovascular risk

Biography

Professor Markus Juonala (MD, PhD, University of Turku) is a specialist in internal medicine and endocrinology at the Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland. Since 2001, he has been conducting research on longitudinal studies examining the importance of childhood risk factors on later cardiovascular health. His PhD work was based primarily on the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (University of Turku, April 2005). Since 2008, he has had a major involvement in the development of the International Childhood Cardiovascular Cohort (i3C) Consortium that combines the efforts of the main longitudinal studies worldwide. In June 2014, he was appointed as Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Turku. In 2014-2015 and 2018-2019 he has been working as the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Fellow in Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI). 

His career publications total is 270 (h-index 44) with published highlights including a first-author paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, the first-ranked general medicine journal, one paper in JAMA, the third-ranked general medicine journal and 30 papers (11 as first/last author) published in either the number one, two, or three ranked cardiovascular disease journals (17 in Circulation, five in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, eight in the European Heart Journal). 

Teaching

Teaching responsibilities: 1) Internal medicine for medical students, 2) Internal medicine specialisation programme for MDs

Special interest areas: Acute internal medicine, endocrinology, lipidology

  

Research

Professor Juonala’s principal research focus has been to provide novel information on the effects of childhood risk factors on cardiovascular health in adulthood. Beginning from the summer of 2008 he has led a research group within the Young Finns Study and i3c consortium with special interest on cardiometabolic risk factors. The most important findings of his research have provided information on childhood and early adulthood risk factors for atherosclerosis, suggesting that childhood risk factors, such as dyslipidaemia, elevated blood pressure and smoking, predict early atherosclerosis and its progression independent of adult risk factors levels. Concerning cardiometabolic risk factors, his group has been able to show that overweight and metabolic syndrome diagnosed either in childhood or adulthood is predictive of carotid atherosclerosis and its progression in adulthood. However, at the time of obesity epidemic, the most important findings concern the reversibility of cardiovascular risk. His work has demonstrated that although overweight and metabolic syndrome are predictive of early atherosclerosis, favourable changes in lifestyle associated with weight maintenance or reduction improve cardiovascular health.

 


Publications

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The potential of intervening on childhood adversity to reduce socioeconomic inequities in body mass index and inflammation among Australian and UK children: A causal mediation analysis (2023)

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
Priest Naomi, Guo Shuaijun, Gondek Dawid, O’Connor Meredith, Moreno-Betancur Margarita, Gray Sarah, Lacey Rebecca, Burgner David P, Woolfenden Sue, Badland Hannah, Redmond Gerry, Juonala Markus, Lange Katherine, Goldfeld Sharon
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))

Blood Pressure at Different Life Stages Over the Early Life Course and Intima-Media Thickness (2023)

JAMA Pediatrics
Meng Yaxing, Sharman James E., Koskinen Juhani S., Juonala Markus, Viikari Jorma S. A., Buscot Marie-Jeanne, Wu Feitong, Fraser Brooklyn J., Rovio Suvi P., Kahonen Mika, Rönnemaa Tapani, Jula Antti, Niinikoski Harri, Raitakari Olli T., Pahkala Katja, Magnussen Costan G.
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))

Evidence for protein leverage in a general population sample of children and adolescents (2023)

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Saner Christoph, Senior Alistair M., Zhang Hanyue, Eloranta Aino-Maija, Magnussen Costan G., Sabin Matthew A., Juonala Markus, Janner Marco, Burgner David P., Schwab Ursula, Haapala Eero A., Heitmann Berit L., Simpson Stephen J., Raubenheimer David, Lakka Timo A.
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))