Kari Tikkinen, MD, PhD, is Professor of Urology and Adjunct Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Helsinki. He was appointed as Professor of Urology at the University of Helsinki in June 2020.
He received his MD and PhD at the University of Tampere, Finland. In early 2014, he returned to Finland after 3 years as a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McMaster University, Canada, hosted by Distinguished Professor Gordon Guyatt. Besides his clinical work in urology, he teaches at the University of Helsinki, and is leading the Clinical Urology and Epidemiology (CLUE) Working Group (http://www.clueworkinggroup.com) – a strong collaborative network of international collaborators.
His research initially focused on population studies of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), in particular nocturia and overactive bladder. His PhD thesis addressing these issues was awarded the best thesis of the year at the University of Tampere (all faculties), and received international recognition. While his research group is actively continuing LUTS research, his experience at McMaster has considerably broadened his research focus.
Dr. Tikkinen was a member of the ICS Education Committee in 2012-2018. He originated the ICS Early Career Session, which he chaired six times until 2018. Dr. Tikkinen also chaired two prestigious guidelines: the European Association of Urology (EAU) Guideline on Thromboprophylaxis in Urological Surgery and The BMJ’s Rapid Recommendation on Prostate Cancer Screening. The EAU Guideline addressing thromboprophylaxis in urologic surgery, published in March 2017, is the first ever procedure- and patient risk factor specific surgical thromboprophylaxis guideline, and has the potential to rationalize current widely varying clinical practice.
Currently, Dr. Tikkinen is the Finland's national principal investigator of the WHO SOLIDARITY trial, which is a mega-trial aiming to find the optimal treatment for COVID-2019.