Olavi Ukkola

Olavi Ukkola was born on April 25, 1962 in Utajärvi. He graduated from Muhos High School in 1981. He completed his licentiate degree in medicine at the University of Oulu in 1986. Olavi Ukkola received his doctorate in 1995. He obtained a degree in internal medicine in 1993 and a degree in endocrinology in 1999. He received docentur in internal medicine in 2001. He has worked for a long time as a teacher of internal medicine at the University of Oulu in addition to specialization. Olavi Ukkola has received postgraduate training at the University of Oulu in the research group of Professor Antero Kesäniemi. From 1999 to 2001, he served as a postdoctoral researcher in Quebec, Canada, and Baton Rouge, USA. He also worked as a researcher at Baton Rouge in 2003. His main areas of research are obesity, diabetes, hypertension, lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis. A key goal of the research is to find and investigate new biomarkers in addition to the usual risk factors for metabolic diseases and atherosclerosis. Of particular interest has been ghrelin, the hormone secreted by the stomach.