Doctoral Programme in Clinical Research

The Doctoral Programme in Clinical Research, CLINDOC, is coordinated by the Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki. The programme promotes doctoral education and research in clinical medicine fields, such as medicine, dentistry, psychology, speech therapy, and health sciences, by developing its doctoral researchers’ expertise and skills in key areas of clinical and translational research. The programme provides its doctoral researchers with the skills needed to conduct professional research throughout their doctoral work and to pursue independent research afterwards.
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At the Doctoral Programme in Clinical Research, CLINDOC, key areas of clinical and translational research include prevention, epidemiology, aetiology, symptoms and findings, diagnostics, care and its outcomes, care systems and research on training for healthcare professionals, as well as training in clinical and translational brain research, including basic and clinical research on brain health and diseases. 

CLINDOC provides its doctoral researchers with the skills needed to conduct professional research throughout their doctoral work and to pursue independent research afterwards. High-quality doctoral education ensures that society, universities and healthcare units have at their disposal highly educated and internationally competitive medical professionals in a range of fields. The goal is for full-time doctoral researchers to complete their doctoral degrees within four years. The foundation of academic education is the research conducted by each doctoral researcher. The progress of the research is monitored annually by thesis committees.

CLINDOC provides its doctoral researchers with the skills for both professional research careers and other demanding specialist positions. Doctoral graduates in medical fields find employment very effectively in various sectors of society. CLINDOC supports the maintenance of employer connections during doctoral education. Most of the programme’s doctoral researchers complete their doctoral degrees simultaneously with specialist training in medicine, working as a doctor or undertaking other clinical work.

CLINDOC collaborates closely with other University of Helsinki doctoral programmes and . In addition, CLINDOC collaborates with doctoral programmes and doctoral education operators of other Finnish universities.

The Doctoral Programme in Clinical Research offers its doctoral researchers an international research and education environment as well as plenty of opportunities for international networking. Roughly one-fifth of the programme’s doctoral researchers are from outside Finland.

The University of Helsinki Doctoral School supports doctoral researchers’ participation in international scholarly conferences. They are also encouraged to participate in the activities and events of the Nordic  doctoral education network, international scholarly conferences and courses, as well as to embark on international research collaboration visits. 
CLINDOC offers a wide range of research opportunities. Doctoral research is often done alongside clinical work or specialist training and in close collaboration with Helsinki University Hospital. Doctoral researchers are also encouraged to participate in international activities.
Key Research Areas

At CLINDOC, key areas of clinical and translational research include prevention, epidemiology, aetiology, symptoms and findings, diagnostics, care and its outcomes, care systems and research on training for healthcare professionals, as well as training in clinical and translational brain research, including basic and clinical research on brain health and diseases. 

Doctoral researchers in clinical and translational brain research at CLINDOC represent fields related to clinical brain research, including neurology, psychiatry, neuroradiology, clinical neurophysiology, neurosurgery, geriatrics and paediatrics, as well as basic research on the human brain, including behavioural neuroscience, cognitive and affective neuroscience, and systems and computational neuroscience. 

Together, they represent 

  • Neuroscientific research in clinical populations with
    • Neuropsychiatric disorders, such as learning difficulties, neuropsychiatric diseases, neurological diseases, such as strokes, brain injuries, dementia and sleep disorders
    • Functional disorders and characteristics, such as pain
    • Psychiatric disorders and their symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, or predisposing factors, such as stress
  • Basic research on brain mechanisms in the healthy population (e.g., plasticity and cognition) 
Events & Activities

The Doctoral Programme in Clinical Research organises, for example,

  • An annual seminar day where doctoral researchers can present their own research and network with other doctoral researchers.
  • A monthly seminar series where researchers and doctoral researchers can learn about the research of other research groups and, where possible, present their own research.
Courses & studying

Will be published in the spring 2026.
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