Research interests

• Campylobacter spp. as zoonotic food and waterborne pathogens

• Taxonomy, phylogeny and evolution
• Genomic epidemiology
• Antimicrobial resistance
• Virulence

Teaching

I am responsible for organizing and teaching the Environmental Health course for students of veterinary medicine in the curriculum of veterinary medicine. Environmental Health is defined in the curriculum as a topic addressing biological, physical and chemical factors in the living environment, which may have an impact on human health at individual and population level.

Central teaching topics include:

• Microbiological and chemical quality of drinking water

• Safety of indoor and outdoor swimming

• Indoor and outdoor air quality

• Waste handling

• Strategies and policy to protect regional and global environmental health

• Legislation in control of environmental health

PREVENTING DISEASES THROUGH HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTS

1. Personal details

• Name: Kivistö (former Kärenlampi) Rauni Inari

• ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9533-2259
• Website (URL): https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/rauni-kivistö

2. Education and degrees completed

28.3.2018 Principal Investigator´s status at University of Helsinki, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health.

3.6.2015 Title of Docent (Adjunct Professor) in environmental hygiene, University of Helsinki.

18.10.2007 PhD, Characterization of Finnish Campylobacter Isolates: Species Identification, Survival on Fresh Produce and Molecular Epidemiology, University of Helsinki, Finland.

29.08.2002 MSc in technology, Helsinki University of Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, Finland; major: Applied Microbiology, minor: Bioprocess Technology.

3. Current position

1.10.2010- University lecturer in veterinary environmental hygiene, University of Helsinki, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health (Responsible for the subject since 2019.)

I am responsible for organizing and teaching the Environmental Health course for students of veterinary medicine in the curriculum of veterinary medicine. My research focuses on Campylobacter spp. as zoonotic pathogens utilizing whole-genome sequencing and bioinformatics tools in studying their molecular epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance and virulence.

4. Previous work experience

17.3.2008-30.9.2010 Postdoctoral researcher in the Academy of Finland designated Centre of Excellence in Microbial Food Safety Research in Prof. Marja-Liisa Hänninen´s research group, University of Helsinki, Finland.

1.1.2003-31.12.2006 A 4-year funded PhD student in ABS – Finnish Graduate School on Applied Bioscience

15.4.2002-31.12.2002 PhD student at the University of Helsinki, Finland.

30.7.2001-31.3.2002 MSc thesis (technology) student, Valio Oy, Research and Development Centre, Helsinki, Finland.

5. Career breaks

Family leaves (three children): 29.1.2007-16.3.2008, 1.2.2010-12.8.2012 and 5.3.2015-22.1.2017, duration 66 months.

6. Personal research funding and grants

2018-2021 Walter Ehrström Foundation, 18 500 €, role: principal investigator

2014-2020 Finnish Foundation of Veterinary Research, 18 000 €, role: project manager/PI

7. Leadership and supervision experience

1.6.-31.8.2019 Host for internship of postdoctoral researcher PhD, DVM Beata Wysok from Department of Veterinary Public Health, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland

2012-2017 Secondary supervisor of PhD student Sara Kovanen, Molecular epidemiology of Campylobacter jejuni in the genomic era, 22.9.2017.

2008-2012 Secondary supervisor of PhD student Astrid de Haan, Molecular typing and source attribution of Finnish Campylobacter jejuni isolates, 28.9.2012.

Main supervisor in four completed (2006, 2018, 2019, 2020) veterinary licentiate´s thesis projects.

10. Other key scientific or academic merits

30 peer-reviewed scientific publications: first author in 7, second author in 11, senior (last) author in 7

9 oral and 17 poster presentations in international scientific conferences

Opponent – public examination of academic dissertation by MSc Ananda Tiwari at University of Eastern Finland, Monitoring Microbial Quality, Contaminant Sources and Bacterial Communities of Bathing Water in Finland, Kuopio, Finland, 30.10.2020.

Peer-reviews for e.g. Nature Scientific reports, PlosONE, Pathogens, Helicobacter, International Journal of Food Microbiology, Epidemiology and Infection, Food Microbiology, Journal of Infection, Journal of Medical Microbiology, Journal of Veterinary Medicine B, Zoonoses and Public Health, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Sensors.

Book chapters (2):

Rossi, M., Olkkola, S., Roasto, M., Kivistö, R. & Hänninen, M-L. 2015. Antimicrobial resistance and Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli. In Antimicrobial Resistance and Food Safety: Methods and Techniques. Chen, C-Y., Yan, X. & Jackson, C. R. (ed.). London, UK: Elsevier Academic Press, pp. 55-75.

de Haan, A., Kivistö, R., Rautelin, H. I. & Hänninen, M-L. 2013. How molecular typing has changed our understanding on sources and transmission routes of campylobacteriosis in Finland. In Campylobacter ecology and evolution. Sheppard, S. (ed.). UK: Horizon Bioscience cop., 12 p.

Open Science: research data distributed by Zenodo, http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1322564.