Precision Prevention – Nordic & European Leadership in Personalized & Preventive Medicine
Tisdag 5 maj 2026 15:30 - 17:00 XE - lokal ej bestämd
Föreläsare: Andres Metspalu, Josef Hilbert, Krista Kruuv-Käo, Markus Perola, Søren BrunakModerator: Jaanus Pikani
This 90-minute ScanBalt 25th Anniversary special session highlights national breakthroughs in precision prevention, focusing on how Estonia, Finland, Denmark, and Germany are implementing genomics, and advanced health-data infrastructures to transform preventive care. For example, Estonia’s upcoming polygenic risk scores (PRS)-guided national breast cancer screening program may become the world’s first such program implemented at a national level, enabling women in the highest 20% PRS group to modify the beginning of the screening and start at the age 40.
- Keynote: Prof. Andres Metspalu – The New Era of Precision Prevention
- Estonia: Dr Krista Kruuv-Käo – From biobanking to personal prevention of the disease
- Finland: Prof. Markus Perola – Population-Based Registry and Genomic Studies in Finland
- Denmark: Prof. Søren Brunak – National Genomics & Preventive Pathways
- Germany: Prof. Dr Josef Hilbert – Precision Prevention Strategies in Europe’s Largest System
- Panel Discussion moderated by Dr Jaanus Pikani
Seminarietyp
Live + på plats
Föreläsare
Andres Metspalu Föreläsare
Professor of Biotechnology, Genomics and Biobanking
University of Tartu
is Professor of Biotechnology, Genomics and Biobanking at the University of Tartu and founder of the Estonian biobank and Estonian Genome Centre. A pioneer in population genomics, he has led the development of one of the world’s most comprehensive national biobanks. His research focuses on polygenic risk scores, personalized medicine, and translating genomic discoveries into public‑health applications. Prof. Metspalu, is a member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences and a globally respected leader in precision medicine.
Josef Hilbert Föreläsare
Managing Director
Institute for Work and Technology (IAT) at
is a leading German expert in health economics, healthcare transformation, and regional health innovation ecosystems. He is Co-Founder and long-time Managing Director of the Institute for Work and Technology (IAT) at the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences, where he has played a central role in shaping research and policy on healthcare innovation, demographic change, and labor markets in the health sector. Over his career, Hilbert has advised federal and regional governments, industry partners, and European
networks on how to design sustainable, people-centered healthcare systems. His work focuses on innovation adoption, health-economy development, and the strategic evolution of healthcare organizations in response to digitalization and societal change.
Krista Kruuv-Käo Föreläsare
Health Insurance Fund of Estonia
is a senior official at the Health Insurance Fund of Estonia and one of the key architects of Estonia’s national precision‑prevention program. She leads the implementation of Estonia’s groundbreaking PRS‑based breast cancer screening modification program —expected to be the first such national program worldwide. Her work focuses on translating genomics into population‑level preventive care pathways and advancing data‑driven public‑health strategies.
Markus Perola Föreläsare
Research Professor
the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (THL),
is a Research Professor at the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (THL), Finland. He is leading a research team focusing on the large-scale epidemiology, genomics and other omics in relevance to common human traits, personalised medicine and biobanking. His
publication list includes over 450 original articles. He is the Chair of the Board of the Finnish Medical Society Duodecim, the largest scientific society in Finland, which
handles strategic governance, scientific policy, national clinical practice guidelines, continuing medical education, and major medical publications in Finland. He also is the Chief Scientific Officer of the THL biobank, the largest population-based biobank in Finland and the vice-director of the Clinical and Molecular Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki. He is a member of the FinnGen
Study Steering Committee and the Chair of the Ethical Board of the Helsinki University Hospital. Dr. Perola is also a consultant in public health medicine and a practicing physician in Helsinki University Hospital (HUS).
Søren Brunak Föreläsare
Professor of Disease Systems Biology
University of Copenhagen
is a pioneering Danish scientist in systems biology, bioinformatics, and data-driven precision medicine. He serves as Professor of Disease Systems Biology at the University of Copenhagen and is a founding researcher at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research. He is also affiliated with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), where he helped establish Denmark’s leading computational biology environments. Prof. Brunak is internationally recognized for integrating clinical data, genomics, molecular profiles, and longitudinal registry data to uncover disease trajectories, ultimorbidity patterns, and opportunities for early risk detection and targeted prevention. His research has significantly influenced how Denmark uses its rich national health registries to develop predictive models and personalized healthcare strategies
Jaanus Pikani Moderator
Dr
ScanBalt
is the Chairman of ScanBalt and a leading figure in Baltic regional cooperation in health innovation. With a background spanning clinical medicine, hospital management, and life-science entrepreneurship, he has been instrumental in advancing cross-border collaboration, health data initiatives, and regional innovation platforms. Dr Pikani is widely recognised for his strategic leadership in developing ScanBalt into a globally visible health innovation network.