Laura Kivelä

My research focuses especially on celiac disease which is a lifelong disorder caused by dietary gluten. It is one of the most common chronic gastrointestinal diseases, but most patients are unrecognized partly due to the wide clinical features of the disease. This may increase the risk for severe and even permanent complications such as impaired bone health and small-intestinal malignancy. Treatment for celiac disease is a strict gluten-free diet which can be challenging to conduct impairing especially social life. Regular follow-up is recommended but currently not optimally implemented, and many patients are lost to follow-up.

I am interested in the reasons and significance of the wide clinical features of celiac disease and long-term health of the patients diagnosed already in childhood. My research topics cover also clinical practices in healthcare concerning the diagnostics and follow-up of celiac disease.

I defended my PhD thesis about celiac disease in children in 2018 and received a title of an associate professor (docent) in experimental pediatrics in 2021. I work as a senior researcher in Celiac Disease Research Center, Tampere University and as a pediatric resident in New Children’s Hospital, HUS.