Mika Gissler

Year of birth: 1966
Official title: Research Professor
Tel. +358 29 524 7279
E-mail: [email protected]

One of my main tasks is to promote the use of THL's register data in scientific research. Experts from different fields of science came up with amazing ideas to link different kinds of data with our administrative registers. As a public health institute, our task is to enable this without compromising individual’s right for privacy and data protection.

I have conducted research with all Finnish university hospitals and with several universities and research institutes. Finnish register data have also an increasing demand internationally. My most significant achievements are related to cooperation with clinicians. By combining medical and nursing expertise and THL's statistical and registry expertise, studies have been conducted that have influenced, for example, the Current Care Guidelines. The results of national birth cohorts are constantly used in social and health policy and in the development of services for children and young people. In biobanks, the utilisation of registers and sample materials has only just begun.

New and ever-changing research questions are the spice of life for register researchers. With Finland's new register legislation, I want to see the day when Finnish register-based materials are in much wider use than at present, e.g. in the EU's Joint Research Centre and through secure remote connections.

Expertise

  • Register-based research
  • International health statistics
  • Health and welfare indicators

Primary duties

  • Promotion of THL’s registers in research and register-based research
  • Coordination of international health statistics
  • Development of health and welfare indicators

Education

  • 1999, Doctor of Philosophy, major Epidemiology,University of Tampere, Finland
  • 1992, Master of Social Sciences, major Statistics, University of Helsinki, Finland
  • 1989, Master of Social Sciences, major Economics, University of Helsinki, Finland

Professional background

  • Since 2021, Research Fellow (part-time), Karolinska Institutet and Region Stockholm, Sweden
  • Since 2011, Research Fellow (part-time), University of Turku, Research Centre for Child Psychiatry, Turku, Finland
  • Since 2010, Research Professor, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, Finland
  • Since 2000, Adjunct Professor in Public Health, University of Oulu, Finland
  • 2016–2021, Visiting Professor (part-time), Karolinska Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Stockholm, Sweden
  • 2009–2010, Development Manager, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, Finland
  • 2008–2015, Professor in Epidemiology (part-time), Nordic School of Public Health, Gothenburg, Sweden
  • 2000–2008, Development Manager, National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health, Helsinki, Finland
  • 1998–2002, Expert in Health Statistics, WHO, Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark 

Language skills

  • Finnish and Swedish (native)
  • English (excellent)
  • German (good)
  • French (satisfactory)

Current projects

  • Finnish Birth Cohorts 1987 and 1997
  • CoNARTAS (Committee on Nordic ART and Safety Database), member of steering group 2008–
  • NOSS – The Nordic Obstetric Surveillance Study 2008–
  • Nordic Maternal Mortality Study 2011–
  • EUROlinkCAT 2017–2022
  • RECAP – Research in Children and Adults born Prematurely 2017–2022
  • INPRESS – International Nordic Pregnancy Drug Safety Studies 2015–
  • NORPRESS – Nordic Pregnancy Drug Safety Studies 2017–2022

Professional memberships

  • 2011–, DG SANTE, Expert Group on Health Information, representative for Finland
  • 2009–, EUROSTAT, Technical Group for Morbidity Statistics, representative for Finland
  • 2008–, EUROSTAT, Working Group on Public Health, representative for Finland
  • 2007–, OECD Health Care Quality Indicators, Finnish representative in the methods -group
  • 2006–, ROAM: Reproductive Outcomes and Migration: an international research collaboration., member of Steering Committee
  • 2001–, NOMESCO (Nordic Medico-statistical Committee), representative for Finland, delegation leader for Finland 2002–, chair 2004–2006, 2016
  • 1997–, OECD Health Data – database, contact person for Finland
  • 1996–, WHO Health for All – database, contact person for Finland
  • 1995–, NOMESCO (Nordic Medico-statistical Committee), editorial board of statistical yearbook, representative for Finland

Publications and research

More than 800 peer-reviewed scientific publications (PubMed)

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