MOKUVE - Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Network

The Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Network (MOKUVE) is a university network coordinated by the Faculty of Sports Sciences of the Ģ��ֱ��. There are currently 11 universities in Finland. Its mission is to promote and strengthen the national preparation of rehabilitation-related research and education, as well as promote national cooperation and networking among higher education institutions.

Multidisciplinary rehabilitation network

The MOKUVE steering group decided to establish a separate doctoral working group in the spring of 2023. In addition to the members of the university network, an open invitation was also presented to the doctoral working group for other people interested in developing further education in rehabilitation. Through the open call procedure, the PhD Working Group formed a multidisciplinary group of experts with representatives from universities as well as from applied science universities.

The objective of the Doctoral Working Group is to develop policies and solutions to increase the number of multidisciplinary rehabilitation continuing education studies and to respond to the challenges identified. The objective of the measures is, among other things, to support networking opportunities for researchers and their instructors who do their dissertations on rehabilitation subjects.

Short introduction of MOKUVE

Background materials (in Finnish but summaries are in English)

Rehabilitation education and research at universities in the network

The universities involved in the network offer a wide range of rehabilitation services and education and conduct very diverse rehabilitation research. The Network Steering Group has discussed the definition of rehabilitation and concluded to take advantage of the rehabilitation definition drawn up by the Rehabilitation Reform Committee (2017) as follows:

Rehabilitation is a planned process based on the needs and goals of a rehabilitator in which the rehabilitated person develops and promotes his or her operational and working capacity with the support of professionals. Rehabilitation involves the development of the rehabilitators’ operating environments. Rehabilitation supports the rehabilitating person and his or her immediate circle’s capacities, independent life, employability, and social inclusion. Rehabilitation is part of the welfare service system and requires timely and seamless services and benefits from several actors.”

Look at what kind of rehabilitation education and research are offered at different network universities.

Aalto University research focuses on seven key areas, including health and well-being, human-centric living environments, information and communication technologies, and digitalization. The research focuses on interfaces used in neurological rehabilitation, robotics, health technology, smart living environments, virtual rehabilitation, and the impact of digitalization in healthcare. The Aalto Neuroimaging (ANI) infrastructure operates at Aalto University, which includes four brain imaging laboratories. This infrastructure is used, among other things, in the study of developmental language disorders. In addition, Aalto University has a wearable technology lab (Aalto Wearable Systems Lab), which is developing wearable technologies for use in stroke rehabilitation.

There are no actual rehabilitation studies at Aalto University, but as part of the studies offered at the university, it is possible to study, among other things, planning for well-being architecture, neurorobotics, and decision-making in healthcare.

Research related to rehabilitation is carried out at the Faculty of Medicine, in particular at the Department of Psychology and Logopedy. Research topics include brain development and plasticity, multidisciplinary rehabilitation methods, functional ability, and muscle loss. For example, the “Music, Ageing, and Rehabilitation” group carries out extensive research into the use of music in rehabilitation in different client groups. The Music, Mind, Body, and Brain Research Excellence Unit of the Finnish Academy produces new research knowledge on music, which helps to improve motor and social well-being, for example, in everyday life as well as in teaching, education, and rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation-related study is provided by the interdisciplinary Master's Programme in Health Care Development, which is implemented at the Medical Faculty of the University of Helsinki. Furthermore, the master’s programs in social sciences, educational science, neuroscience, and urban research and planning include training in various aspects of rehabilitation.

Strategic research focuses on four profile areas, one of which is Aging, Lifestyle and Health. Research in this area has produced information, especially on the genetic background and risk factors of folk diseases. The University of Eastern Finland also operates the Research Center for Geriatric Care, GERHO, which studies, among other things, the nutrition of home care clients and falling injuries. In addition, the TULES research unit conducts a basic examination of bone and cartilage and examines sarcopenia. Research in health economics, rehabilitation robotics, and social rehabilitation is also being conducted at the University of Eastern Finland. The University of Eastern Finland is constantly looking for ways to prevent illness through lifestyle and developing diagnostics and more individualized and targeted lifestyle and medication treatments, as well as effective services.

Educational content related to rehabilitation can be found in the Bachelor and Master programs in Medicine, Nursing Science, Logopedics, Psychology, Social Work and Health Promotion. The medical training programs, in particular the training program for physiatrists specialists (musculoskeletal system diseases) and the training program for physicians specialists in physical and physical medicine (respiratory and circulatory diseases, metabolic diseases), contain training content related to rehabilitation. In addition, you can study for a Master of Health Economics at the University of Eastern Finland.

At Ģ��ֱ��, rehabilitation research is carried out, among other things, in physiotherapy, gerontology, adapted physical activity, health economics, music therapy, application arts, and literary therapy. Research themes include digital rehabilitation, brain research, physical activity among long-lasting people and children, the cost-effectiveness of partial working capacity, preventive work in supporting functional capacity, and music therapy in the treatment of depression and rehabilitation of cerebrovascular disorders. In cooperation with the University of Tampere, the Gerontology Research Centre GEREC operates at Ģ��ֱ��, which produces information on the life, health, and functional capacity of the elderly.

In connection with rehabilitation, you can study physiotherapy, gerontology, and health sciences at Ģ��ֱ��. Furthermore, training is offered in art therapies such as music, dance-business and visual arts therapy, literary therapeutics, applied arts, social work, psychology, and special pedagogy.

Rehabilitation research and teaching are focused on the Faculty of Social Sciences, which also includes rehabilitation science, which was closed in 2010. The themes of rehabilitation research and training are considered part of the multidisciplinary client and service processes of social work. The subject of social work has strong knowledge in the study of the processes of inclusion, participation, and rehabilitation of people in challenging life situations, such as intoxicants and mental health rehabilitators, prisoners, victims of violence, persons with disabilities, and those with partial work capacity. The study of social rehabilitation in adult social work is also one of the strengths of the University of Lapland. In addition, in the discipline of management, research is carried out in relation to working well-being and the management of working capacity.

Education related to rehabilitation at the University of Lapland is offered in terms of social work. In addition, the University of Lapland, in cooperation with Tampere University and the University of Turku, offers specialization training in adult social work and social rehabilitation.

The Finnish National Defence University is a military-science university belonging to the Defense Forces, whose main task is to produce highly qualified personnel for the defense forces and the Border Guard.

The Finnish National Defence University has institutions for military arts, military technology, leadership, and military pedagogy. The discipline of physical capacity examines, among other things, the physical loadability of soldiers in different military conditions and the optimization of physical training to develop physical functionality. The study of physical capacity is based on the research fields of physical activity and medicine, with the help of which research related to rehabilitation is also carried out. The university is also part of the program.

At the University of Oulu, research is carried out interdisciplinaryly in five focus areas. One of the focus areas is lifelong health, which creates new insights into the factors affecting lifelong health.

Research related to rehabilitation is carried out at the University of Oulu in a diverse way, both in terms of healthcare interventions and implementation studies. At the Faculty of Medicine, there is the GeroNursing Centre, which studies, among other things, care that promotes the rehabilitation of the elderly and rehabilitation services. In addition, the GeroNursing Centre offers a wide range of studies related to rehabilitating nursing. The University of Oulu offers rehabilitation-related training in both the Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology and in the Medical Faculty. At the University of Oulu, it is possible to combine technological, health science, and medical expertise and thus generate digital health innovations.

In connection with rehabilitation research, the strengths of Tampere University are research in the fields of health, technology, society, and social work. The research aim of Tampere University is to promote the health and well-being of all ages, to develop resource-efficient and safe living and working environments, and to safeguard socially responsible digitalization and the transformation of working life.

There are more than 100 active research groups and centers at Tampere University, including the MARGI research group for social work () and the Perla multidisciplinary research center for childhood, youth, and family. Furthermore, the Gerontology Research Center GEREC (), which is part of the Centre for Excellence in Research on Aging and Care (). The research subjects of the MARGI research group are institutional practices and interactions within the margins of welfare services. In addition, the research group on special pedagogy will be launched in the autumn of 2023. Rehabilitation-related training is offered at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology as well as at the faculty of social sciences in the degree programs of health sciences, psychology, logopedy, and social work. In 2024, special pedagogy training will also start.

At the University of Turku, rehabilitation research is carried out, especially in the Faculty of Medicine and Social Sciences, but also in the Humanities Faculty, where the relationship between culture, language, and history and well-being and health is studied. Research topics related to rehabilitation include assessment and rehabilitation methods for neurological diseases, social work research, and digital rehabilitation. At the University of Turku, you can study, among other things, as a bachelor and master of health sciences and as a licentiate in medicine. The University of Turku also operates the Sote Academy and the Academy of Artificial Intelligence. The Academy offers multidisciplinary education open to all faculties, linking in particular social and health care, teaching, and education. The Academy of Artificial Intelligence offers multidisciplinary training and research related to artificial intelligence. Read more about the Academy at and the Academy of Artificial Intelligence

Research is carried out at the University of Vaasa, especially in the fields of business, engineering, management, and communication sciences. Research projects related to rehabilitation include nature-based methods as part of youth services, prevention of juvenile crime and exclusion, rehabilitation of prisoners, digital skills, and support for employment. Social and healthcare administration research is always linked to rehabilitation and emphasizes value creation for the client. Currently, our partners are the well-being of the northern region. At the University of Vaasa, you can study social and health management sciences, among others.

The strategic research profiles of Åbo Akademi University include health-related solutions as part of Turku’s Terveyskampus Turku network and technologies for a sustainable future. Research in rehabilitation is carried out, among other things, in relation to speech production and understanding, neuropsychological disorders, and therapeutic science. Åbo Akademi University is the only university in Finland where you can study as a psychologist or psychotherapist in Swedish. At Åbo Akademi University, there is also a Swedish-language logopedic training program that trains bilingual speech therapists.

Don't do your work alone, join the MOKUVE network

Doctoral Working Group

The objective of the Doctoral Working Group of the MOKUVE network is to promote doctoral training in rehabilitation and to support researchers conducting rehabilitation dissertation research at various universities and faculties.

Events

MOKUVE virtuaaliaamukahvit 11.9.2024 klo 9.15-10.00

Kahvikuppi ja läppäri, jonka näytöllä on useita ihmisiä virutaalikokouksessa

Newsletters and other publications

MOKUVE newsletter

The MOKUVE newsletter gathers up-to-date issues related to rehabilitation education and research. The newsletter also includes future dissertations linked to rehabilitation by the universities involved in the network, as well as other events associated with rehabilitation. The newsletter is published, on average, every two months. The newsletter will be sent by email to all subscribers, and the newsletters can also be read on this page.

Newsletters are in Finnish but summary is in English.

Newsletters

MOKUVE uutiskirje 2/2024.pdf

Uutiskirje 1/2024

Articles, blogs and press releases

(only in Finnish)

Other publications

(only in Finnish)

Verkostopäivä 24.1.2024

MOKUVE raportti 2021-2022.pdf

CONTACT US!

mokuve@jyu.fi

Coordination of the network

The network is coordinated by the Faculty of Sports Sciences of the Ģ��ֱ��.

Arto Hautala, Associate Professor, Head of Coordination Group

Kaisa Lällä, Project Manager

Elina Niskanen, Coordinator

Merja Rantakokko, Associate Professor

Ritva Sakari, Development Manager

Pirjo Vuoskoski, Senior Lecturer

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MOKUVE steering group

The task of the steering group is to plan and direct the operation of the network. Its members also act as links to their own university.

The chairman of the steering group is Arto Hautala. The Deputy Representative of Jyväskylä University in the steering group is Merja Rantakokko. In addition, the project manager and the coordinator participate in the steering group meetings.

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