معرفی
Kirsti Akkermann is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tartu since January 2024. Previously, she served as Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology (2021-2023), and has held various academic positions at the University of Tartu since 2004, including Lecturer and Research Fellow. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist-psychotherapist and supervisor at the Center for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy since 2014, working 0.20 FTE.
Dr. Akkermann earned her Doctor's Degree in 2010 from the University of Tartu with a dissertation on "Serotonin-related Biomarkers and Symptoms of Eating Disorders," supervised by Jaanus Harro and Anu Aluoja. She completed her Master's Degree in 2003 with a thesis on "Convergence between self- and other ratings of personality traits in eating and anxiety disorders patients," supervised by Kenn Konstabel. Her educational background includes undergraduate and graduate studies in Psychology at the University of Tartu from 1995-2010.
Dr. Akkermann's research primarily focuses on eating disorders, with particular emphasis on emotional eating, binge eating mechanisms, and the role of emotion regulation. Her work examines age and sex differences in eating disorder risk factors, latent profiles in eating disorders, and the relationship between eating disorders and the serotonergic system. She also investigates gene-environment interactions in psychopathological processes, biomarkers of eating disorders, and digital health interventions for psychological problems in chronically ill children. Her research employs various methodologies including latent profile analysis, experience sampling, and registry-linked longitudinal studies.
Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on transdiagnostic approaches to understanding eating disorders through personality-based latent profiles, gender differences in emotional eating patterns, and the development of digital health interventions. She has led major national studies including the Estonian National Mental Health Survey, examining mental health problems in the adult population and supportive services across Estonia.
- 2023 Publication award, Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu
- 2022 AcademiaNet nomination by Swiss National Science Foundation
- 2021 University of Tartu Badge of Distinction
- 2019 Recognition for societal activities, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tartu
- 2018 Publication award, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tartu
Dr. Akkermann has supervised postdoctoral researchers, including Kadri Haljas on the project "Reducing psychological problems in chronically ill children through digital intervention." She has secured significant research funding, currently serving as Principal Investigator for the Estonian National Mental Health Survey and participating in the Estonian Center of Excellence of Well-Being Sciences. She has been involved in numerous research projects funded by the Estonian Research Council, Ministry of Education and Research, and Estonian Science Foundation, often collaborating with Jaanus Harro on large-scale studies examining personality, behavior, and health.
Dr. Akkermann is active in professional organizations including the Estonian Association for Dialectical Behavior Therapy (founding member), European DBT Association (founding member), Union for Estonian Clinical Psychologists, and Union of Estonian Psychologists. She co-leads working groups on standardization of diagnostic assessment methods and has developed treatment guidelines for eating disorders and overweight/obese patients. She regularly organizes national and international conferences and conducts skills training for clinical psychologists across the Baltic region.