Arto Hautala is JYU’s new professor of physiotherapy—the only one in Finland

On 1 November 2025, Arto Hautala took up his new post as professor of physiotherapy and rehabilitation at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä. At present, this professorship is the only one in its field in Finland.

Published

27.11.2025

The research field of physiotherapy and rehabilitation is multidisciplinary. Current themes include maintaining the health and functional capacity of the ageing population, remote rehabilitation and digital services, as well as AI-based solutions for more efficient services. Changes in working life, barriers to effective stress management strategies, and support for mental health also create new demands for research on physiotherapy and rehabilitation.

“Although the field is broad, the focus is always on the individual undergoing rehabilitation. My research vision is essentially about promoting physiotherapy and rehabilitation based on scientific evidence,” Hautala says.

Research supports Finland’s health policy objectives

Physiotherapy research in Finland takes into account the special characteristics of the social and health care system.

“The emphasis of current research themes is on the evaluation of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. This includes integrating digital solutions into therapy and rehabilitation, promoting preventive measures, and enhancing rehabilitation services through multiprofessional cooperation,” Hautala states.

The research supports Finland’s health policy objectives by ensuring that physiotherapy is both effective and efficient and promotes patient-oriented and technologically enhanced solutions within the national social and health care system.

Hautala’s research team is investigating, for example, the impacts of exercise training on arthritis and age-related muscle loss, as well as the cost-effectiveness of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation.

Arto Hautala’s background

Originally from Oulu and a devoted fan of the Kärpät ice hockey team
Graduated as a physiotherapist in Oulu (1989)
Master’s degree in biomechanics, University of Jyväskylä (1996)
Doctoral dissertation in physiology, University of Oulu (2004)
Postdoctoral research in the USA (Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 2005), specialising in molecular biology and genetic analysis methods
Title of docent in physiology at the University of Jyväskylä since 2007
Associate professor (tenure track) at the University of Jyväskylä since 2020