Kari Hemminki, a world-renowned expert in the field of cancer epidemiology and genetic risk factors, whose research group is part of the NICR, was awarded an honorary doctorate by Charles University on 4 March.
Professor Hemminki completed his postdoctoral studies at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA, spent fifteen years as a professor at Karolinksa Institutet in Sweden and another fifteen years at Deutsche Krebsforschungszentrum and Universität Heidelberg in Germany. In 2019, his journey continued at the Faculty of Medicine of Charles University in Pilsen, where he founded and leads the Laboratory of Translational Genomics of Cancer at the Biomedical Centre. "When I retired from my Heidelberg institute six years ago, I felt that I was not yet ready to leave science. Therefore, the opportunity to start working in Pilsen suited me both in terms of time and subject matter!" He recalls that he left Finland in 1990, but still has a large part of his family there, whom he visits regularly.
And what does he value most about his scientific work? "Perhaps I would say that compared to some top scientists I have a versatile scientific profile and career, so my department at the Deutsche Krebsforschungszentrum was called Molecular Genetic Epidemiology. I am probably most proud of the fact that I have helped many students and scientists in their careers and that my publications include hundreds of co-authors from many countries and academic levels," says Kari Hemminki. When asked whether he prefers Finnish or Pilsner beer, he replies: "In my travels around the world, I was surprised that the culture of brewing beer is so widespread. Finns can do it too, but Urquell is the top. But that wasn't the only reason I started working in Pilsen."
