Heli Harvala

Heli Harvala is a Professor of Virology at the University of Turku's Institute of Biomedicine. Her academic journey includes a Medical Degree, MSc in Organic Chemistry, and PhD in Virology from the University of Turku (2003), followed by Medical Virology training in Edinburgh and Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists (2015). She has held roles as a Consultant Medical Virologist and contributed to ECDC training programs. Her research focuses on clinical, transfusion, and public health virology, including leadership of the European Non-Polio Enterovirus Network (ENPEN) and the Blood Safety research team at the University of Oxford's NIHR-funded Blood and Transplant Research Unit. Key achievements include pioneering work on occult hepatitis B infections in blood transfusion and SARS-CoV-2 testing during the pandemic.

Research Interests: Molecular epidemiology of enteroviruses, next-generation sequencing applications in microbiology, blood donation safety, and viral transmission dynamics. Recent work emphasizes enhancing diagnostic methods for viral infections and improving transfusion safety protocols.

Publications span over 130 peer-reviewed articles (h-index 48), with recent focus on hepatitis B detection methods, enterovirus surveillance, and blood donation screening strategies. Awards include WHO appointments and leadership roles in global health organizations.

Teaching: Undergraduate virology modules at multiple universities and postgraduate supervision with a focus on clinical virology training. Developed specialized courses in phylogenetics and bioinformatics for public health professionals.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Blood Safety team at Oxford and co-founded ENPEN, collaborating with over 30 European countries. Current efforts include establishing a research group at Turku University.