Public lecture by Nina Kaarina Kilkku

In her lecture she will approach the current landscape of mental health and mental health care from the perspectives of individuals and families, education and competence, and mental health service systems. In her lecture, she demonstrates how these perspectives, which are also her research areas, are also interconnected within the broad field of mental health care, research and education. 

Kilkku was awarded professorship in mental health at the Faculty of Health Sciences in October 2025. She received her PhD in health sciences from Tampere University in Finland in 2008. She is a qualified psychiatric nurse with a master’s degree in health sciences and a qualified psychotherapist specialized in family and couple therapy. In addition to her academic career, she has worked on her private practice for twelve years.  

In January 2024, Kilkku joined VID Specialized University, following a long career in education and research related to mental health in Finland and internationally. She was president of the European Psychiatric Nurses (Horatio) until 2024 and is currently a Visiting Research Fellow at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), as well as an adjunct professor at Tampere University in Finland. In 2018, RCSI awarded her the title of Fellow of Ad Eudem. Her most recent international research leadership includes a collaborative study with the WHO Europe on mental health professionals in the European region. Throughout her career, she has been invited as a keynote speaker and international lecturer at several conferences and events across Europe.

We are delighted to have her as our colleague at VID.

Dean Trine Møgster Jørgensen will introduce the lecture.

Refreshments will be served.

The lecture will be held in English.