Arctic Health

The Arctic Health (AH) research group focuses on climate change and human health and well-being in the Arctic. The main theme in research is One health approach, including research ethics and community participation.

Contact information

Research group leader

  • Arja Rautio

Research group description

Projects cover environmental health, discrimination and marginalization, demographic population changes, and Indigenous health and well-being. We collaborate with several universities and research institutes in the Arctic through University of the Arctic Thematic Networks, Arctic Council (health groups in Sustainable Development Working Group, SDWG and Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, AMAP), research projects and Arctic Five activities. The members of the AH participate in the circumpolar doctoral education and Nordic projects, such as Arctic Youth and Sustainable Futures and hold leading positions in the UArctic, International Union of Circumpolar Health (IUCH), Circumpolar Health Research Network (CHRN) and Nordic Society for Circumpolar Health (NSCH).

Arctic Health team:

(main research group members)

Professor Emerita, Emerita Chair UArctic Arja Rautio, Group Leader, MD, PhD, European Registered Toxicologist

Dr Rautio has been working in the topic of Arctic health and well-being since 2006. Her main research interests are on One health and climate change, Indigenous health and wellbeing, and research ethics. She is PI in several research projects funded by EU (ArcSolution, EDCMET, Nunataryuk, ILLUQ, PARC), Nordic and national funded projects and acting as a national key expert in the Human Health groups of the AMAP and member of SDWG of the Arctic Council. She is a board member of IUCH and Chair of NSCH, and a board member of the Arctic Society of Finland.

Email: arja.rautio (at) oulu.fi
Phone number: +358 40 5855776

Docent Khaled Abass, PhD, European Registered Toxicologist

Senior Research Fellow, Adjunct Professor, Research Unit of Biomedicine and Internal Medicine, University of Oulu, Finland. The main research interests are on environmental toxicology and human health risk assessment. He is a member of Human Health assessment group of the AMAP. He is a member of several international and national funded projects. He leads the Research Council of Finland project on Microplastics 2023-2027.

Email: khaled.megahed (at) oulu.fi
Phone number: +358 45 1106720

Dr. Anastasia Emelyanova, Postdoctoral Researcher, PhD

Anastasia Emelyanova, Vice-Lead of the UArctic TN Health and Well-being. Thule Institute, University of Oulu & University of the Arctic, Finland. She is Arctic Five Chair in Healthy Ageing and One Health (2022-2024). Her research interests include population changes across the Arctic region, health and well-being, One Health, and policy. She is the co-Lead to the NAPA funded project “Arctic Healthy Aging communities: Safe and inclusive outdoor environment and public spaces”, and researcher in ILLUQ, ArcSolution, CLINF-Green, INTERACT-III, and main teacher in UArctic funded One Health course.

Email: anastasia.emelyanova (at) oulu.fi
Phone number: +358 50 5059636

Dr. Saranya Palaniswamy, Postdoctoral Researcher, PhD

Saranya Palaniswamy, Research Units of Biomedicine and Internal Medicine, and Population Health, University of Oulu, Finland. The main research interests include environmental health, nutrition, noncommunicable diseases, and Global Public Health course lead. She works in the European Union’s Horizon funded research project EDCMET, ILLUQ, ArcSolution, and leads the national funded project on biomonitoring.

Email: saranya.palaniswamy (at) oulu.fi

Dr. Ulla Timlin, Postdoctoral Researcher, PhD, M.Sc. (Health Sci.), RN

Ulla Timlin, Research Unit of Biomedicine and Internal Medicine, University of Oulu, Finland. The main research interests are on mental health and well-being, especially on children, youth and families, and in changing environment. She is working in the EU Horizon 2020 funded research project Nunataryuk, ILLUQ, ArcSolution. Her main task is to investigate and assess risks of mental wellness associated with climate change and permafrost thaw, utilizing One Health approach. Her other projects include Arctic Council Arctic Covid 19 Fulbright Project and national funded research project Understanding the experience of mental health and wellbeing of young Sami reindeer herders in Finland using arts-based methods.

Email: ulla.timlin (at) oulu.fi
Phone number: +358 29 4483555, +358 50 4725354