People

Olen eläinlääketieteen tohtori Annamari Heikinheimo, Zoonoottinen mikrobilääkeresistenssi -tutkimusryhmän johtaja. Olen erittäin kiinnostunut mikrobeista. Yritän ymmärtää bakteerien käyttäytymistä hyvin monitahoisessa ilmiössä ja vakavassa, globaalissa terveysuhassa; mikrobilääkeresistenssissä (antimicrobial resistance, AMR). Olen innostunut bakteerien genotyypeistä ja fenotyypeistä, sekä lisääntyneen mikrobilääkeresistenssin takana olevasta ihmisten käyttäytymisestä. Miten säilyttää mikrobilääkkeiden teho ja estää bakteerien kehittyminen resistenteiksi?

Vaikka rakastankin työtäni, on jotain, mitä rakastan vieläkin enemmän – perhettäni. He tekevät minut onnelliseksi ja kiireiseksi töiden ulkopuolella. Pidän myös ulkoilmassa urheilusta, partiosta ja tanssimisesta.

I have graduated as DVM in 2019 and I worked as an official veterinarian for a while before starting my PhD project in the beginning of 2020. My professional scope of interest lies in global health challenges and epidemiology. In my PhD work I focus on the diffusion of multidrug-resistant bacteria between animals, humans and food at the household level.

As a researcher I find my work very meaningful. In my free time I relax by going outdoors and doing sports, such as open water swimming and road biking.

I bagged my DVM in the year 2011. I obtained a Master's degree in Veterinary Public Health from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria in 2015. I was also an Erasmus+ Scholar who received the International MSc. In Infectious Diseases and One Health (IDOH) in 2020. My research interests are in infectious diseases epidemiology, the molecular basis of Antimicrobial resistance, and in one-health control of zoonoses.

Currently, I work on the WASTPAN project evaluating the utility of wastewater-based surveillance as an Early Warning tool for bacterial disease detection and control.

I graduated with a DVM degree in 2023 and started my doctoral studies in January 2024 at the University of Helsinki. My primary research interest lies in zoonotic diseases and global One Health. My PhD project focuses on investigating antimicrobial resistance and multidrug-resistant bacteria in varied dog populations worldwide. The project follows the One Health ideology, which emphasizes the interconnection between animal, human, and environmental health. 

Apart from research and work, I love spending my free time with my three dogs, engaging in various activities. I also enjoy playing sports and relaxing by reading books.

I began my doctoral studies in the beginning of 2025 focusing on antimicrobial resistance in abattoir wastewaters. Previously, I completed my licenciate thesis in the research group as a part of the WastPan project. After graduating as a DVM in 2024, I have also worked as a veterinarian in the laboratoy of clinical microbiology at the veterinary teaching hospital of University of Helsinki.

I am always excited about bacteria and AMR, particularly from a One Health perspective. In addition to my scientific interests, I enjoy running and yoga.

I hold a doctoral degree in environmental biotechnology and my main interest is in environmental hygiene and global health issues. In my thesis, I investigated the biodegradation and the effect of the UV irradiation on organic pollutants. I have also analyzed the links between infections and the linear growth of children in low-income settings. The main focus of my work was the association of poor water quality, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) with the inflammatory condition of the gut, environmental enteropathy (EE). In recent years, I was involved in generating a wastewater epidemic surveillance platform in Finland. In my current work, the aim is, among the other things, to develop the monitoring and analysis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

I love my work as a researcher and the fact that I can learn new things all the time. I prefer to spend my free time in nature, moving together with my family, which includes my husband, three almost adult children and a goofy golden retriever.

I have graduated as DVM in 2008 and ever since worked with antimicrobial resistant bacteria in Prof. emerita Marja-Liisa Hänninen’s research group until 2016 when I finished my PhD thesis on antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in campylobacter. I currently work as a senior researcher at the Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto). My tasks include for example data collection and compiling of the annual report in the Finnish resistance surveillance programme FINRES-Vet, and involvement in various resistance-related research projects as well as basic upkeep of the laboratory routines for resistance-related duties.   

My professional interests include the epidemiology and mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria and I feel fortunate to be able to work in an era that sees the transition from traditional phenotyping methods to modern technologies such as whole-genome sequencing.

When I am off work, I enjoy spending time with my two children that also keep me busy from immersing too deeply into the fascinating world of antimicrobial resistance.