Forum for Nordic Dermato-Venereology Nr 1, 2018 | Page 15

University Clinics in the Nordic Countries Academic Research at the Department of Dermatology and Allergology at Tampere University Hospital and University of Tampere E rna S nellman Professor of Dermatology and Venereology, University of Tampere and Tampere University Hospital, Finland. E-mail: [email protected] The Medical Faculty at the University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland was opened in 1972 and Tampere Central Hospital was simultaneously awarded university hospital status. The leader- ship of the clinic is divided between Professor Erna Snellman, MD, PhD, who is responsible for leadership of teaching and research, and Associate Professor Annikki Vaalasti, MD, PhD, who is the managing chief and employer at the Department of Dermatology and Allergy (Fig. 1) within the University Hospital, excluding only teaching personnel and nomination of dermatology residents. Research at the department of dermatology is tightly inte- grated within the hospital clinic in Tampere, but doctoral studies have, in part, also been implemented in the central hospital under the supervision of Professor Snellman, and in some other departments of Tampere University Hospital and University of Tampere. In relation to the size of the clinic, the research activity is noteworthy. Table I shows the staffing level of clinical doctors at the clinic. Table I. Dermatologist staffing levels at the Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Tampere University Hospital Location/Sector Specialists Residents Ward /in Patient Wound care Wound center Dermatosurgery Polyclinics Skin allergology Sexually transmitted diseases Teaching 1 (100%) 1 (20%) 3 (300%) 5 (440%) 2 (150%) 1 (20%) 3 (300%) 1 (100%) 1 (20%) 1 (100%) 2 (150%) 1 100% 1 (30%) Dermatitis Herpetiformis Research The dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) study group performs clinical and translational research at the Department of Dermatology, Tampere University Hospital, and at the Celiac Disease Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere. The study group consists of Associate Professor Teea Salmi, MD, PhD, (principal investigator, der- matologist); Kaisa Hervonen, MD, PhD (post- doctoral researcher, dermatologist); Professor Emeritus Timo Reunala (senior advisor), and 4 PhD students: Eriika Mansikka, MD (derma- tologist); Anna Alakoski, MD (dermatologist), Elli Turjanmaa, MD (resident in dermatology), and Camilla Pasternack (medical and PhD student). The study group has, for example, published recent articles about decreased in- cidence of DH (1), reduced mortality in DH (2), and refractory DH (3). Focus areas of the current studies are immune response in DH, burden and long-term prognosis of DH, and the effects and health benefits of dapsone and gluten-free dietary treatment and de- velopment of gluten tolerance in DH. Eriika Mansikka’s PhD focuses on the clinical picture and small bowel mucosal villous atrophy (4) and the development of gluten tolerance in DH. Anna Alakoski’s PhD focuses on gastric Fig. 1. Patient case meeting at the Department of Dermatology, Tampere University Hospital. Forum for Nord Derm Ven 2018, Vol. 23, No. 1 13