Two new Fellow experts at Turku University of Applied Sciences: "Enables a deeper approach to artificial intelligence and health research"

Text: Siiri Welling 

Turku University of Applied Sciences' ICT competence area has received two new visiting experts thanks to the Fellow programme of Turku University of Applied Sciences. 

Dr. Lisa McCann works at the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences, as a Senior Lecturer and the program director for the Digital Health Systems Master's Degree. She has long and solid experience in person-centred digital health research. 

– I first met colleagues from Turku UAS when I travelled to Turku as part of a representative team from the University of Strathclyde in September 2018. I was fortunate enough to represent my department and my research group, the Digital Health and Wellness Research Group alongside colleagues from our Engineering Faculty, says McCann. 

The Fellow programme gives McCann the opportunity to develop cooperation with Turku University of Applied Sciences' Health Technology research group and the entire Turku UAS’ extensive expert network. The Fellow programme also deepens the cooperation between the two universities. 

– I hope the Fellow programme provides an opportunity for successful grant funding awards to facilitate new research projects in partnership with colleagues from Turku UAS. The Fellow programme also opens opportunities for educational offerings, for example in organizing visiting lectures or future double degree programmes.  Also, I’d like to see the educational partnership offerings between the two institutions evolve and develop too so that students and future generations of Digital Health specialists can benefit from the unique offerings of our two institutions in their learning and development, says McCann. 

McCann sees many similarities in the geographical challenges and population structure of Finland and Scotland. She expects the cooperation to be fruitful both in the field of research and teaching. 

Expertise in artificial intelligence research 

Docent Esa Alhoniemi, on the other hand, has an impact in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning in academia and business world. He has extensive experience in utilizing artificial intelligence in industry. He currently works at the software company Inoi. 

– I previously worked for two years at Turku University of Applied Sciences as part of the PRIVASA research project. The Fellow programme is a natural way to continue cooperation after the end of the employment relationship. On the one hand, I want to stay up to date on where artificial intelligence related health technology research is going, and on the other hand, I want to help the university of applied sciences through my experience and network, says Alhoniemi. 

Regarding the Fellow programme, Alhoniemi expects to be able to continue participating in health technology AI research. 

Elina Kontio, Head of the health technology research group at Turku University of Applied Sciences, expects the cooperation with both experts to be versatile and instructive. 

– I especially expect our Fellow experts to bring new expertise and perspective from the business world and the international higher education world. Both McCann and Alhoniemi agreeing to become Fellow experts is an honour and a great thing for the university of applied sciences and enables an even deeper approach to health and artificial intelligence research, says Kontio. 

Both Lisa McCann's and Esa Alhoniemi's Fellow appointments last for five years.