Page 27 - SKR-annual-report-2022-EN

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To a narrator of iron and granite, time and humanity

Author Sirpa Kähkönen

S irpa Kähkönen (b. 1964) writes about society by writing As someone who enjoys digging through newspaper
about people. She describes contemporary questions archives, Kähkönen is accomplished at providing the details
through historical narrations. She is characterised by that make the past come alive. While describing the private
humaneness, being always on the side of the individual. sphere and bringing historical events up close, she is able to
make her work universal. Through her characters, Kähkönen
Born in Kuopio in Eastern Finland, Sirpa Kähkönen studied asks life’s big questions, demanding answers from the reader.
literature and history, and worked as an editor prior to setting
out as a full-time writer. Her studies provided her with a clear Kähkönen has also served in many positions of trust, for
direction: Kähkönen is particularly known as a master of example as the chairwoman of the Union of Finnish Writers
historical novels. and the Finnish PEN.

For researching nature vs. nurture and for being an outstanding researcher of twins

Professor Jaakko Kaprio

J aakko Kaprio (b. 1952) has been a Research Professor
at the Institute for Molecular Medicine of Finland
since 2018, having prior to that been a director of that
institute, an Academy Professor, and a Professor at the Uni-
versities of Oulu and Helsinki.

Kaprio’s area of specialisation is genetic epidemiology. He
began his research on Finnish twins as part of his doctoral
thesis in 1984, and since then he has led the planning and
execution of several follow-up studies on twins, based on
extensive twin cohort databases. With the help of their
research on twins, Kaprio and his research teams have been
able to explore the roles that environmental factors and genetic
predisposition play in the development of addictions, and to
identify several smoking-related genes.

Kaprio was carrying out international research at a time
when it was far less common than now. He is one of the
most widely referenced Finnish scientists, with a list of
publications encompassing more than 1,300 titles. Jaakko
Kaprio has been an active member of various Finnish and
international scientific associations, as well as holding diverse
positions of trust.

HEIKKI TUULI