Keyword: Feature article

A summer job at church children’s camps changed the life of the upper secondary school student. Working with children sparked a desire to help and understand vulnerable children and young people. This eventually led Riikka Korja to become a professor of developmental psychology at the University of Turku. Her passion is to help not only the vulnerable, but also early career researchers and students.

Marjut Johansson, professeure des universités au Département de français, répond à nos questions. Sa recherche est axée sur l’analyse des interactions et la linguistique socioculturelle. En ce moment, Johansson dirige l’Institut des sciences du langage et de la traductologie à la Faculté des lettres de l’Université de Turku. 

Read our special feature where you can move forward in the article by tapping the side of the photo or the arrows below.

Authors are the focus of University Lecturer in Cultural History, Docent Maarit Leskelä-Kärki's work. A play based on her dissertation is currently performed at the Finnish National Theatre. 

Top-level skin cancer research acknowledging the individuality of cancer is conducted in Turku. In the studies, the characteristics of cancer are examined at the level of tracers and molecules. This opens up the opportunity to tailor the most suitable treatment for each patient. The studies are rewarding for both the researchers and the research subjects. At best, patients with advanced skin cancer benefit from the new medicinal products used in trials long before these products are in commercial use.

Brain researchers from Turku share a strong passion for research and an ability to utilise state-of-the-art technology. PET imaging has provided a window into brain mechanisms, e.g. the principles of addiction or the progress of multiple sclerosis.  Brain research is connected to the research and practice of patient care at the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital. This enables the researchers to have a firm grasp on what kind of research can help the patients and allows the quick utilisation of newly acquired expertise.

Where top-level research is conducted, the patients also receive first-rate care. Patients’ interest is also based on this same logic when they are selecting a hospital. In the joint orthopaedic research unit of the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, new and improved methods are developed, which in turn benefits the patients of Tyks Orto – a top-level medical clinic focusing on injuries and diseases of the body's musculoskeletal system. The latest research results from this spring are interesting also to implant manufacturers all over the world.

In Turku, child psychiatry recognises the inseparable connection between the psychological well-being of children and society. Factors such as the COVID pandemic, war, and migration have a significant impact on the mental health of children and adolescents. In addition to conducting cutting-edge research, Turku is actively developing means to make an impact on psychological well-being from an early stage within primary health care, starting from maternity clinics.