Research group leader, primary investigator
Paulina Salminen, MD, PhD, FACS (Hon) is a Professor of Surgery at University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland. She is a surgeon scientist combing high-quality clinical research with continuous clinical work and her main research interests are also her clinical interests – acute care surgery focusing on acute appendicitis and bariatric surgery and acute care surgery. She is the principal investigator of all APPAC randomized trials focusing on the treatment of uncomplicated acute appendicitis and various prospective cohort studies. She is also the PI for a large randomized trial within the field of bariatric surgery comparing sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass (SLEEVEPASS) in the treatment of morbid obesity. She is the past president of the Finnish Surgical Society, the current president of Finnish Bariatric Surgery Society and an executive board member of the International Federation for the Surgery on Obesity and related disorders (IFSO). She is the Editor-in-Chief of Scandinavian Journal of Surgery and an editorial board member of JAMA Surgery and British Journal of Surgery. She has been appointed as a member of European Surgical Association (ESA) in 2019 and in 2022 she received the honorary fellowship of the American College of Surgeons.
Post-doctoral researchers
MD, PhD, Specialist physician, Division of Digestive Surgery, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
MD, PhD, Assistant Chief of Surgery, Specialist physician, Division of Digestive Surgery, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
MD, PhD, Surgical Resident at HUS Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
Research group surgeons
MD, PhD, Professor and Chief of Surgery (incl. Gastroenterological Surgery, Urology, Vascular Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Plastic Surgery and General Surgery) Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
Rautio Tero, MD, PhD
MD, PhD, Professor and Chief of Gastroenterological Surgery, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
Mäkäräinen Elisa
MD, PhD, Specialist physician, Division of Gastroenterological Surgery, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
Nordström Pia
MD, PhD, MBA, Head of the Operative Department, Chief Physician of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
Laukkarinen Johanna
MD, PhD Professor and Chief of Gastroenterological Surgery Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
Rantanen Tuomo,
MD, PhD, Professor of Surgery Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
Mika Ukkonen
MD, PhD, Specialist physician, Division of Gastroenterological Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
Paajanen Hannu
MD, PhD, Specialist physician, Mikkeli Central Hospital, Mikkeli, Finland
Sävelä Eeva-Liisa, MD
MD, PhD, Specialist physician, Pori Central Hospital, Pori, Finland
Mattila Anne, MD, PhD
MD, PhD, Specialist physician, Jyväskylä Central Hospital, Jyväskylä, Finland
Mrena Johanna
MD, PhD, Specialist physician, Jyväskylä Central Hospital, Jyväskylä, Finland
Pinta Tarja
MD, PhD, Specialist physician, Seinäjoki Central Hospital, Seinäjoki, Finland
Helminen Heli
MD, PhD, Chief of Gastroenterological Surgery, Seinäjoki Central Hospital, Seinäjoki, Finland
PhD students
Lund Heidi
MD, PhD student, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
Suominen Saku
MS, PhD student, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
MD, PhD student, specialising physician, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
MD, PhD student, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
Turku University Biostatistics
Hurme Saija, MSc, group statistician
Biostatistician, MSc., Doctoral researcher
Department of Biostatistics and Department of Surgery, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
Turku University Hospital Infectious diseases
Turku University Hospital Radiology
Virtanen Johanna, MD, PhD
MD, PhD, Specialist physician, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
Tammilehto Ville
MD, Specialist physician, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
