Working life network/working life groups
Research group information
Unit and faculty
Contact information
Research group leader
- Leena Ala-Mursula
Research group description
Working life network is active in two lines of research:
I Employment-related epidemiology
Our multidisciplinary international network uses Northern Finland Birth Cohorts following individuals in all sectors of society with lifelong data ranging from genes, environmental and behavioural factors and health to national registers and aims i. to evaluate how employment shapes lifelong health, and ii. how health shapes functioning in working life.
Post doc researchers
Professor Leena Ala-Mursula
PhD students
MD Tuulia Varanka-Ruuska
MD Tomi Koski
MA Jaakko Salovaara
BMed Veronika Hyytiäinen
II New understandings on occupational health
The mixed methods studies in this research line typically emerge in the surrounding networks of educators and practitioners and aim at new understandings on occupational health. Ongoing topics include for example evaluations of work-relatedness in medical encounters and joint return-to-work negotiation practices as well as implementation of biopsychosocial approach in treating low back pain in occupational health services.
Post doc researchers
Professor Leena Ala-Mursula
PhD, MD Katja Ryynänen
PhD students
MD Hanna Keränen
MD Satu Soini
MHealtSci Maija Paukkunen (in University of Linköping, Sweden)
Where are we headed
I Employment-related epidemiology
Theorywise, together with the networking teams we to contribute to the literature by combining occupational epidemiology with life course health models in understanding origins of lifelong health (such as accumulation of risks, sensitive periods, chain effects as well as biopsychosocial approach and other multilevel models). In turn, our multidisciplinary projects aim at wider understanding on well-being- and health-related functioning in working life, including productivity.
In practical terms, we aim at strengthening the potential of Northern Finland Birth Cohorts as an internationally recognized research platform on work and health, as indicated by keeping producing original findings by growing number of incoming researchers, networks and resources for this line of research.
II New understandings on occupational health
Echoing the needs of working life, the results of this research line are swiftly usable in research-based education as well as developmental actions in the health care sector.
By welcoming acute research collaborations we aim to further strengthen the attractiveness and societal impact of University of Oulu as a research and development partner for working life, health services, and medical education, as indicated by the flow of articles and recognizable developments.
Our main collaborators
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Professor Sylvain Sebert, Research Unit of Population Health (PopH), University of Oulu Professor Jouko Miettunen, PopH, University of Oulu Professor Raija Korpelainen , PopH, University of Oulu Professor Markku Timonen, PopH, University of Oulu Professor Juha Auvinen, PopH, University of Oulu Professor Erika Jääskeläinen, PopH, University of Oulu Adjunct Professor Nina Rautio, PopH, University of Oulu PhD MD Ina Rissanen Professor Jaro Karppinen, Research Unit of Health Sciences and Technology , University of Oulu Professor Marko Korhonen, University of Oulu, School of Economics Professor Mirka Hintsanen, University of Oulu, Faculty of Education Professor Jaana Laitinen, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health Professor Marianna Virtanen, University of Eastern Finland Professor Marjo-Riitta Järvelin, Imperial College, UK Professor Allan Abbott, University of Linköping, Sweden Starting 2022: Senior Research Fellow Annie Herbert, University of Bristol, UK Starting 2022: Professor Tessa Roseboom, PhD Marieke ter Wee-Zaal, Medical Research Center University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
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How to find us
Research Unit of Population Health,
P.O.Box 5000, 90014 University of Oulu
visiting address: Aapistie 5 B