HEIKKI PEKKARINEN MEMORIAL
Heikki August Pekkarinen 6.1.1953 – 23.12.2009
The International 21st Puijo Symposium is dedicated to our close colleague and friend, Heikki Pekkarinen. He passed away December 2009, the day before Christmas Evening.
Heikki served as the Secretary General of The 20th Puijo Symposium in June 2009, which was indeed a lively international get-together with colleagues in research. Typical of him, Heikki took great care of everything, in spite of the threatening signs of the relapse of his disease.
Heikki was a real advocate of health issues and pioneer in so many fields and areas. He started medical studies at Kuopio University in 1974 and was unanimously elected a 'host' of the course already in the first year. It was thanks to his thoughtful gentlemanly behaviour and his excellent social skills that his coursemates got a bookstore, lecture handouts, sports facilities, excursions and connections to students of other faculties.
Heikki graduated as a doctor in 1979. He worked as an intern for two years, believing his abilities made him suitable to be an otologist. Conversations with colleagues persuaded him to start scientific research. Heikki defended his doctoral thesis "Growth, Fitness and Health in Athletic School Children" in 1986. He was allowed to start the public defence of doctoral thesis by showing self-made film about his research work. In addition to his research Heikki also worked as the first teacher in clinical physiology at a university in Finland. He had over 250 publications.
Exercise medicine grew to be a passionate hobby, with the goal of increasing knowledge and understanding. He thought that there had to be new ways to get people to understand the message about the effect of exercise, resting and nutrition on health. Over a hundred students have graduated from the national master's curriculum that he was in charge of, several of whom have gone on to obtain a doctorate.
TV, video tapes and the internet became channels for Heikki to pass on information about health education. He co-wrote many of scripts, and took part in over 30 programmes. His was particularly proud of the Finnish Fitness Plan, an internet portal that he created, and for which he interviewed almost every international and national expert in exercise and health sciences.
Heikki developed web-based teaching material and tools, test templates and individualized methods for supporting students, as well as new digital testing techniques to help the general public with self-assessment and motivation.
The Finnish Fitness Plan was officially ended by Kuopio University in January 2005. Heikki continued his project in his free time, and in June the same year he received an award from the Ministry of Education for his work. About 1.5 million people have visited different portals of the Finnish Fitness Plan.
In addition to exercise medicine, Heikki was deeply involved in developing general education. He was a designer and coordinator of research programmes in Health sciences in Finland and acted as an expert in international tasks. His contribution was valued both in EU projects and in research projects of the Finnish Ministry of Education. In spring 2009 Heikki was invited as a member of the Matriculation Examination Board, indicating how highly he was appreciated in his field of expertise.
The whole community of doctors is challenged by Heikki's personal work: exercise is medicine. His guiding principle was the line "if you build it, they will come" from his favourite movie, Field of Dreams (1989) by Kevin Costner. He wanted all doctors and other experts to recognise the obligation to inform and give guidance to others, both in person and especially with the help of the latest electronic equipment.
Growing up in a loving family in the countryside made Heikki what he was: always kind, supporting and gifted in social skills. He was a cultivated person who always remembered to thank all the participants and co-workers involved in any task. We have lost an excellent friend and workmate.
He will be much missed by his loving wife Kirsi and children Aarne and Anne.
Rainer Rauramaa, Secretary General of the Puijo Symposium 2011