The discipline has close contacts with other research groups of the Faculty and those financed by the Research Council of Finland working at Biomedicum, the Folkhälsan Research Center, the National Institute for Health and Welfare, and the research groups of the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM).
Medical genetics is also closely connected with the Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCS), as well as the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS), which together provide services to approximately 1.4 million residents and, in the case of certain rare diseases, to all Finnish residents. Research results in genetics are quickly utilised in patient diagnostics and the genetic counselling of patients and their families. Cooperation is also conducted with several modern specialised genetics laboratories located on the Meilahti Campus.
The Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics provides basic education in medicine and dentistry with three courses whose scope is two credits each.
The Medical Genetics I (MED-32) course is organised in the autumn term of the third year of studies. The primary goal of the course is to provide the latest information on the structure of the genome, the identification of hereditary diseases and the use of gene tests in clinical diagnostics. The course consists of lectures, group instruction and patient appointments.
The topics explored in the lectures include the following:
The topics explored through groupwork include the following:
The Medical Genetics II (MED-516) course is organised in the fifth year of studies. The students will be divided into two groups, of which the first will complete the course in the autumn term and the second in the spring term. The primary goal of the course is to instruct students in the identification of hereditary diseases and their molecular diagnostics as well as related legislation and questions of ethics. The course consists of lectures, group instruction and patient appointments.
The topics explored in the lectures include the following:
The topics explored through group instruction include the following:
The activities carried out at patient appointments include the following:
The Odontological Genetics (DENT-201) course is organised in the spring term of the second year of studies. The goal of the course is to learn to identify hereditary diseases and structural abnormalities associated with the teeth and the mouth, the use of DNA diagnostics and the role of heredity in common dental diseases. The course consists of lectures, group instruction and group instruction involving patients.
The topics explored in the lectures include the following:
The topics explored through groupwork and group instruction involving patients include the following:
Advanced research projects can be carried out in the research groups active at the department, and students can reach out directly to the relevant group leaders.
The main research areas in medical genetics include
professor Päivi Peltomäki
paivi.peltomaki@helsinki.fi
PO BOX 63 (Haartmaninkatu 8)
00014 University of Helsinki
PO BOX 63 (Haartmaninkatu 8)
00014 University of Helsinki