Homage to Oulu – A Mini Sabbatical at 65° North Latitude

On March 10th, I arrived with Finnair just below the Arctic Circle. Oulu is one of the most northern Finnish University cities, and the third most Northern full University in the world. Only the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi, Finland (67°) and the UiT Norges Arktiske Universitet at Tromso, Norway (70°) can top these superlatives. Yet, Oulu is still 700 km away from the Northcup, and around 3000 km from the pole. Unfortunately, too far for a short weekend trip to be where the Norwegian Ronald Amundsen passed as probably the first human with his airship “Norge” in 1926.

During my 3-week stay, I was hosted by Simo Saarakkala (Prof. of Biomedical Engineering, Head of the Research Unit of Health Sciences & Technology at the Faculty of Medicine, and Scientific Director of the Infotech Oulu Focus Institute) and Miika Nieminen (Prof. of Medical Physics, Vice Head of the Research Unit and Chief Physicist at the University Hospital). I also met Mika Nevalainen (Professor & Chief Physician of Musculoskeletal Radiology, Faculty of Medicine), whereas the logistics around my stay were graciously coordinated by Sonja Mannerluoto, Management Assistant of the Department.

The research group in Oulu has a strong track record of pioneering work in musculoskeletal compositional imaging, biomechanics, and computational analytics of joint structures and osteoarthritis, including AI. This interdisciplinary environment bridges engineering, imaging science, and clinical research, offering an ideal and stimulating setting for a research visit.

The unit as a whole is structured as a multidisciplinary umbrella, composed of principal investigators who overseeing multiple research groups that integrate clinical disciplines, engineering, data science, and health sciences. Across these groups, the unit comprises around one hundred members, approximately 40–60 PhD candidates, 20–30 postdoctoral researchers, and a smaller number of senior scientists, technical/project staff, and professors. A unique feature of its setting is the integration of bioengineering, medical physics, and data science with the clinical environment of a university hospital. This embedded multidisciplinary structure creates key strengths, i.e. efficient translation from methodological innovation to clinical application, access to well-characterized cohorts and real-world data, enabling the unit to tackle complex health challenges in a more holistic and impactful way.

During my stay I enjoyed the scientific exchange on all of the above aspects of imaging science. I gave presentations on “Sex differences of articular tissue anatomy and pathology”, and “Imaging biomarker development and clinical validation”. With Simo, I discussed our participation in the PROTO and in the emerging IHI PROBE project, particularly WP4.4 on imaging biomarkers.

Further, Simo and I started some preparations as Editors of the upcoming “Special Issue” covering the invited lectures of 20^th International Workshop on Osteoarthritis Imaging (IWOAI, June 2026) in the Journal of Osteoarthritis Imaging (OSTIMA), and with Miika we started sketching a perspective on cartilage T2 with the intent to bridge physics and patients, basic science and clinical application.

Stepping outside the daily routine and into the special Northern ambience also permitted me to use my time as a “retreat”, working on an original article and a perspective, and to using the cross-country ski trails in the forests and hills around Oulu almost daily, many of which are nicely illuminated at night.

Touristic highlights were regular visits of Market Hall (Kauppahalli), with its nice neoclassical construction dating from 1901, its cute little coffee place with awesome salmon soup, mouthwatering sandwiches, and its many stalls with local products, ranging from Finberry chocolate, over tasty fresh fish, to rendier and elk meat products.

I loved skiing at Nallikari on the frozen Bothnian Bay, three days before the ice had melted almost entirely. And I thoroughly enjoyed a weekend trip Northeast to Syöte National Park and to Ruka-Kuusamo, a skiing area with a >300 km network of cross-country tracks. It was great to spend a few hours outside per day, working on my physical and not only mental fitness.

Thanks to Sonja, Simo, Miika, and Mika for their hospitality, the exciting exchange, and the unforgettable experiences in Northern Finland.