Anna-Riia Holmström

This PhD opening is based in the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Helsinki , within the Department of Pharmacology and Drug Therapy . The project focuses on medication safety and treatment effectiveness as part of social and clinical pharmacy research. The doctoral researcher will work on developing new effective operating models, methods and evidence to identify, prevent and manage medication-related risks in social and healthcare. The main research areas include risk management for medication safety in healthcare organisations and pharmacies, as well as studying the safety of human and animal pharmacotherapy using a One Health approach. The research is explicitly interdisciplinary and draws on theories and methods from public health, social sciences, epidemiology, health economics, and healthcare research. This gives the project a broad applied profile with strong links to health services and pharmaceutical practice. In addition to the dissertation work, the position includes teaching, pedagogical and content development, societal interaction, and supervision of students in pharmacy-related programmes. The selected researcher will teach and guide students at different stages of their studies, including students in the international master’s programme, and will also contribute to thesis supervision. Teaching is mainly blended learning, with part of it delivered in online environments. The post is located in an active academic environment in the Faculty of Pharmacy, which is part of the University of Helsinki’s broader research and teaching community on the Viikki campus. The faculty emphasizes high-level pharmacy education and research, with a strong connection to professional practice and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Helsinki is seeking a doctoral researcher in social and clinical pharmacy for a fixed-term employment relationship of up to five years. The position is based in the Department of Pharmacology and Drug Therapy. The research area sits within a multidisciplinary health sciences field that focuses on optimizing patients’ medication use, promoting health, and preventing disease. The advertised area covers the use, availability, and effectiveness of medicines and pharmaceutical services at both individual and population levels, medication safety and risk management in drug therapy, clinical pharmacy services within social and healthcare systems, drug policy, and the development of social and clinical pharmacy expertise. The work is research-intensive and also includes teaching, pedagogical and content development of teaching, as well as societal interaction. The selected researcher will teach and supervise pharmacy students at different stages of study in basic and advanced courses in social and clinical pharmacy, and may also contribute to teaching in the faculty’s international master’s programme. Supervision of theses is also part of the role. The teaching is mainly delivered in blended formats, including online environments, and the teaching workload is higher than is typical for a doctoral researcher, though limited to 20% of annual working time. The Faculty of Pharmacy is a research and teaching environment with several departments and a strong national role in pharmacy education. The position is linked to doctoral training in the University of Helsinki research environment, and the most suitable doctoral programme is likely the Doctoral Programme in Drug Research. The appointment is set in a setting that combines pharmacy research, education, and interaction with the wider health-care context.