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Republic of Finland - The Finnish Atherosclerosis Society Members: 130 Website: www.satyry.fi Page last updated: March 12, 2012 |
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President: Matti Jauhiainen, PhD National Institute for Health and Welfare Department of Chronic Disease Prevention Public Health Genomics Research Unit and FIMM Institute for Molecular Medicine Biomedicum, 3rd Floor, A-wing Haartmaninkatu 8 FI-00290 Helsinki Finland Tel. +358-20 610 8467 Fax. +358-20 610 8960 E-mail: matti.jauhiainen@thl.fi |
Vice President: Anna-Liisa Levonen, MD, PhD Department of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences University of Eastern Finland P.O.Box 1627 FI-70211 Kuopio Finland Tel. +358- 40-358 9907 Fax. +358-17-163 751 E-mail: anna-liisa.levonen@uef.fi |
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Secretary: Terhi Vihervaara Minerva Research Instititute Biomedicum 2U Helsinki Tukholmankatu 8 FI-00290 Helsinki Finland Tel. +358-9-191 25706 Fax. +358-9-191 25701 E-mail: terhi.vihervaara@helsinki.fi |
Past President: Petri Kovanen, MD, PhD Wihuri Research Institute Kalliolinnantie 4 FI-00140 Helsinki Finland Tel. +358-9-681 4131 Fax. +358-9- 637 476 E-mail: petri.kovanen@wri.fi |
Officers:|
Markus Juonala E-Mail: markus.juonala@utu.fi |
Antero Kesäniemi E-Mail: antero.kesaniemi@oulu.fi |
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Vesa Olkkonen E-Mail: vesa.olkkonen@helsinki.fi |
Olli Raitakari E-Mail: olli.raitakari@utu.fi |
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Tiina Solakivi E-Mail: tiina.solakivi@uta.fi |
Minna Hannuksela E-Mail: minna.hannuksela@oulu.fi |
Mission statement:The aim of the Society is to advance scientific studies and training in the field of atherosclerosis research in Finland. To achieve its purpose, the Finnish Atherosclerosis Society shall organize researcher meetings, courses, and member excursions to scholarly meetings, invite distinguished Finnish and international researchers to attend the Society's scholarly meetings, and support other related training both financially and with the help of experts in the field. The Society can also grant awards to distinguished researchers.
History of the Finnish Atherosclerosis Society:The Finnish Atherosclerosis Society was established in the fall 2006. A formal national society was made possible following the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) Congress in Helsinki in 2007; as the national hosts, our share in the meeting's profits provided the financial foundation for the society's activities. Until that time, annual meetings were organized once or twice per year by the Society's predecessor, Finnish Atherosclerosis Club (A-Club), which was established at the 7th International Symposium on Atherosclerosis in Melbourne, Australia, October 1985, as an initiative of the late Professor Esko A. Nikkilä. The exact birth place of the A-Club was Hamilton Island, where the 10 founding members of the Society were participating at a Post-Congress Satellite Meeting. The annual Finnish A-Club meetings were organized in major cities involved in atherosclerosis research, including Helsinki, Kuopio, Oulu, Tampere and Turku, all of which have a medical faculty in the local university. The meetings were first held in Finnish, but since 1995 all presentations and discussions have been in English. Approximately 100 basic and clinically oriented scientists in the field of atherosclerosis research have annually attended the meetings. The original aim of the A-Club was to provide a scientific conversation forum for young Finnish scientists working in the diverse fields of cardiovascular research. The concept has been tested during the past 22 years and found to be successful. This has laid a solid foundation for our work as an official society.
Current activities (meetings, sponsorship of meetings, etc.):The past president of the Finnish Atherosclerosis Society (2006-2010), Professor Petri Kovanen, is currently the secretary of the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS).
To honor Professor (Emer) Marja-Riitta Taskinen and her outstanding career in the field of atherosclerosis, lipoprotein metabolism and diabetes, the portrait of Prof. Taskinen was painted by the artist Serguei Zlenko, and presented to the University of Helsinki at the Marja-Riitta Taskinen Symposium "Metabolic Culprits of Atherosclerosis", on June 5, 2008, in Helsinki, Finland.
To honor Professor (Emer) Christian Ehnholm and his long career in atherosclerosis and lipoprotein metabolism, "Atherosclerosis risk - Insights from Molecular and Population Studies. Christian Ehnholm Symposium" was held on the occasion of his 70th birthday on November 10, 2009, in Biomedicum, Helsinki, Finland.
The 2010 scientific meeting of the Finnish Atherosclerosis Society was held on March 12-13, 2010, in Helsinki, Finland. The plenary lecture "Role of the endothelium as a target and barrier of HDL's anti-atherogenicity" was presented by Professor Arnold von Eckardstein, Professor of Clinical Chemistry at the University of Zurich and Director of the Institute of Clinical Chemistry of the University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland.
The Finnish Atherosclerosis Society organized a symposium to honor Professor Tatu Miettinen "Cholesterol: From Metabolic Mechanisms to Clinical and Population Strategy. Tatu Miettinen 80 years Symposium" on October 21, 2010, in Helsinki, Finland.
The 2011 scientific meeting of the Finnish Atherosclerosis Society was held on March 18-19, 2010, in Tampere, Finland. The plenary lecture "The Copenhagen studies: Lp(a), nonfasting lipid measurements, genetics and more" was presented by Professor BØrge Nordestgaard, University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
The next scientific and general society meeting of the Finnish Atherosclerosis Society will be held on March 16-17, 2012 in Helsinki, Finland. For more information, please contact Terhi Vihervaara (terhi.vihervaara@helsinki.fi).
The members of the Finnish Atherosclerosis Society may annually apply for travel grants for European and international atherosclerosis meetings.