Keynote speakers and workshop contributers

Keynote speakers

Martin S. Hagger

Martin Hagger, PhD, Professor of Health Psychology, Department of Psychological Sciences at University of California, Merced, and Professor in Behavior Change, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.



At UC Merced, he is Chair of the Graduate Programs in Psychological Sciences and Director of the Social and Health Psychology Applied Behavioural Research for Prevention and Promotion (SHARPP) Lab. He is also Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. His research focuses on the psychology of health behavior change. He is currently Senior co-Editor (Health Psychology) of Social Science and Medicine. He has received numerous awards including the Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher Award and the Distinguished Health Psychology Contribution Award.

Eva Denison

Eva Denison, PT, PhD, was project leader for the new physiotherapy curriculum with a behavioural medicine profile at Mälardalen university in Sweden, where she also held positions as associate professor and later adjunct professor in physiotherapy.

Anne Söderlund

Anne Söderlund, PhD, professor in Physiotherapy with behavioral medicine profile, School of Health, Care and Welfare, Mälardalen University, Västerås, Sweden. She is also affiliated professor at Arcada University of Applied Sciences.



She is member of the European Pain Federation Academy Board, and an Editor-in-Chief for the European Journal of Physiotherapy. She is a leader of a multidisciplinary group, BeMe-Health of 20 researchers. Her research area is on prevention, treatment, and evaluation of health problems from a behavioral medicine perspective in the physiotherapy framework.

Pilvikki Absetz

Dr Pilvikki Absetz, PhD, Professor of Public Health at Tampere University, is a behavioral scientist and a leading expert in implementation research in health promotion and chronic disease prevention and self-management through lifestyle change in different real world settings.

Workshop contributers

Riikka Holopainen

Riikka Holopainen, PT, PhD, lecturer, works currently as a researcher, lecturer at University of Jyväskylä and clinical physiotherapist at MoveDoc Oy. Her research interests are musculoskeletal pain, therapeutic alliance and communication as well as implementation of evidence-based practice. She was designated specialist in pain physiotherapy in 2018.

Johanna Fritz

Johanna Fritz, PhD, senior lecturer in physiotherapy, is a researcher and teacher in physiotherapy at School of Health, Care and Social welfare, Mälardalen University, Västerås, Sweden.



Her main interest lies in the integration of a behavioural medicine approach in physiotherapy, particularly with regard to the implementation in clinical practice. Her research is about developing and evaluating methods to support implementation of a behavioural medicine approach in physiotherapy.

Heikki Kivistö

Heikki Kivistö, MHS (Master of Health Science), PT, University of Jyväskylä, has experience of life-style counselling for patients with varying backgrounds and diagnoses for several years before studying master's degree in health sciences in the University of Jyväskylä. Currently his doctoral thesis is in the process of making. Before he began his current job as a teacher of health sciences, he worked as a university researcher and a physiotherapy teacher.

Caroline Eklund

Caroline Eklund, PhD in Physiotherapy, Researcher, Senior lecturer, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health, Care and Social welfare, Mälardalen University, Västerås, Sweden, has her research within the health- and welfare technology area with special interest in how web-based interventions/solutions can support behavior change in several ways. Stress-management, sedentary behavior and physical activity is her main interest within health-related behavior change.

Mikaela Wiik

Mikaela Wiik, expert in workwellbeing, Folkhälsan (Physiotherapist (FT HYH), AmO, Master in Health Promotion)