Training in Helsinki
The Institute of Biomedicine, Medical Faculty, University of Helsinki, is situated at the Biomedicum, an Institute for Medical Research (http://www.biomedicum.fi). The institute has about 2000 researchers in the field of biomedicine and medicine. The research groups that work in the building are selected based on scientific excellence, evaluated by an external panel. Collaboration between the research groups is frequent, and there is a high quality seminar open for all groups once a week. English is used as the language of communication and presentations in all seminars, and as the working language in most laboratories.
Dr. Porkka-Heiskanen has a wide experience in education, including curriculum development and teacher’s education: she was responsible for the planning and execution of the re-education of the teachers at the Institute of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, year 2000 (40 teachers), when the faculty adopted a new teaching curriculum (problem-based learning). She is presently a member of the Education Committee of the World Federation of Sleep Research Societies. She has mentored five dissertations, presently seven PhD students and two postdoctoral fellows are in training. The main scientific training area is basic sleep research. The laboratory has extensive experience in using in vivo microdialysis and several other methods of biomedical research (including radioimmunoassay, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, RT-PCR, enzyme activity measurements). Sleep restriction, both acute and chronic is applied in most research paradigms.
Each researcher, both early-stage and experienced, will prepare a study-, research- and personal development plan in collaboration with Dr. Porkka-Heiskanen. The progress of the studies will be evaluated by comparing with the individual plan, and reported in the network meetings.
The group of Dr. Porkka-Heiskanen is a member in the Finnish Graduate School of Neuroscience, which provides a multitude of relevant courses (for details, see http://www.helsinki.fi/fgsn/ )The laboratory also arranges courses and lectures for the graduate school.
Dr. Porkka-Heiskanen is presently the President of the Brain Research Society of Finland. The society arranges a multitude of training sessions and public lectures. The students can participate these events and learn about the important skill of communicating with general public.
The early-stage researchers take part in these courses while the experienced researchers act as teachers and planners of the courses. The training program in the laboratory consists of weekly meetings within the sleep research group, the weekly seminars at Biomedicum, biannual writing seminars and PhD seminars every second month. In the laboratory meetings the students prepare presentations of relevant new research articles (Journal Clubs) and present twice a year the progress report of their scientific results.
“Sleep school” program, organized by Dr. Porkka-Heiskanen, runs once a month through the year and serves the Finnish graduate school of Neuroscience, as well as all students in Dr. Porkka-Heiskanen’s laboratory. Experienced researchers will mentor PhD students and students both in practical laboratory work and analysis and in writing of the results. They will also participate in the planning of the organization of the laboratory and work of the technical personnel. The trainees will participate in two international meetings per year, of which one will be the Society for Neuroscience meeting, and the second, one of the sleep meetings (e.g. Congress of the European Sleep Research Society), where they will report their results.Partner 1. Institute of Biomedicine, University of Helsinki (UNIH)
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