29/08/2024
I am Dr. Anna Hielm-Björkman (Small Animal Surgery, docent in clinical trials for companion animals) and I work at the University of Helsinki in Finland. I am a doctor in Veterinary Medicine (DVM, PhD) and I have a Veterinary Acupuncture certification (IVAS 1992), and I have worked with all kinds of animals, ranging from spiders, dogs, sheep, cows, horses all the way up to elephants.
I also had my own general practice for 13 years, meaning I have also worked with all types of diseases: metabolic, immunologic, auto-immune, inflammatory, infectious and also with all body systems: musculo-skeletal, respiratory, gastro-intestinal, reproduction, skin, pain etc. This generalist approach is needed in the multidisciplinary way we work, looking more at factors that diseases have in common, than what makes them different.
In 2007 I defended my PhD theses on complementary therapies for dogs suffering from chronic pain due to OA, including e.g. pharmaceuticals, acupuncture, and nutritional supplements.
Since 15 years I lead the DogRisk research group at the University of Helsinki. We work mostly with dogs but also with humans, cats and horses. Nowadays, a lot of my work involves dog nutrition, epidemiology and –omics, and many studies include looking at differences between populations that have eaten ultra-processed versus non-processed foods. Low-carb or ketogenic diets for dogs interest us.
I also lead the research on scent dog detection of chronic pain, cancer and covid-19 sniffing dogs. I have supervised over 10 PhD students and over 75 DVM theses. I am a keen lecturer, both nationally and internationally. My backstory lies in having had chronic back pain and chronic COPD (without smoking) and being fully cured from both the natural way. My lifework is to be an academic game-changer in preventive medicine, natural medicine, and nutrition, both for pets and humans. I love to combine evidence-based methods with controversial questions.