On 4th June 2024, Dr. Riikka-Leena Leskelä, Research Director at NHG, has been appointed Adjunct Professor in healthcare operations management at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Helsinki. The title of Adjunct Professor is a recognition of her expertise in the study and development of healthcare and social services.
Riikka-Leena has been working at NHG since 2010 and leads several international and national research projects related to the development of health and social care systems, as well as the improvement of processes, customer centered care and effectiveness in healthcare.
“I am honored to be appointed Adjunct Professor as it a recognition of my long-term commitment in the field, and my high-quality research work. Healthcare operations management provides good tools for understanding complex phenomena in service systems and identifying development opportunities,” Riikka-Leena says.
Riikka-Leena’s research interests are interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary. She is especially interested in how health and social care activities can be improved to better meet the needs and expectations of customers and patients. She sees there is a lot of room for improvement in the service system from the perspectives of efficiency, customer orientation and effectiveness.
“I believe that research has an important role in the reform of social and healthcare. Research can provide information on what works and what does not and why. Research can also create new innovations and solutions that benefit both customers and service providers. However, the utilization of research results requires close collaboration between different stakeholders, and NHG has strong competence and experience in this area,” Riikka-Leena says.
Warm congratulations, Riikka-Leena!