short introductions

Meet our people

"As each one has received a special gift,
employ it in serving one another" (1 Pet. 4:10)
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Who We Are

Astris Staff

Pediatrician

Hanna Roiha, MD

Blog Author

Hanna is the first pedatrician in Finland who has also trained as an osteopath. As she was studying to become a MD she repeatedly kept asking the question: "Why?" with a need to understand the underlying mechanisms. Osteopathy has increased her understanding of the person as a whole and given her excellent tools for dealing with this whole. She is adding to her “toolbox” by constantly training more.

Children's allergies and gut issues and their treatment as a whole and with the most gentle means possible are of particular interest to me. I receive my small patients and their families in a quiet, unhurried reception, taking into account their individual needs.

Medical Director, FOUNDER

Marjo Valonen, MD

Blog Author

Marjo Valonen is an expert on complex chronic infections and how to repair the resulting damage. She specializes in identifying and repairing body’s biological functions (gut, hormones, stress, energy production etc.) after treating the infections with natural remedies and her expertise brings patients from all over Europe.

She is the founder of Astris Clinic and trains MD’s and therapists internationally. She speaks in conferences and workshops around the world including USA, England, Ireland, France, Belgium, Sweden, Austria. She is a past member of the European board of ILADS. (www.ilads.org) and works with patient associations to further the diagnostics and treatment of Lyme.

Herbal Therpist

Sanna Peiponen, M.Sc.

Blog Author

Sanna Peiponen has extensive experience about how to help people suffering from a complex and hard to recover illness. She is passionate about understanding the mechanisms behind a healthy person. She has applied her knowledge to solve modern day challenges such as gut issues and inflammation and she works in close co-operation with our MD's

She has a Masters in Personalized Nutrition from Middlesex University, her thesis was on the role of cytokines in chronic infections and how they could be affected by herbs. Sanna also teaches at Salus Academy for Nutrition and she has presented in multiple countries. She works often with international patients with the farthest one being from New Zealand, the opposite side of the planet from us!

Nurse, Therapist

Kaarina Krogerus, RN

Blog Author

Kaarina has worked as a private nurse since 1999 and educated herself in functional medicine and nutrition since 2012. She is well experienced in chronic infections and gut issues and she is competent in aesthetic injection therapies.

Herbal therapist, Researcher

Anita Wąsik, PhD, DipHM

Blog Author

I am medical herbalist and biomedical scientist. I obtained my doctorate degree at the Faculty of Medicine (University of Helsinki, Finland) and a Master of Science degree in Biotechnology and Molecular Biology (University of Wroclaw, Poland).

I spent several years working as a biomedical scientist in Poland, Germany and Finland.My love of the natural world combined with my empathic nature, strong desire to help others, and curiosity about holistic approaches to healing led me to the naturopathic medicine. I studied at Heartwood Herbal Medicine College which is accredited by the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH). Here I trained in orthodox medicine as well as plant medicine including areas of medical sciences, pharmacology, materia medica, clinical reasoning and physical examinations.

As a medical herbalist I offer an individual and natural approach with regards to your and your environment as a whole. I offer herbal medicine treatment for acute and chronic conditions. My clinical practice is grounded in the tradition of Western Herbal Medicine combining conventional medical science and diagnosis as well as plant medicine known as phytotherapy.

Food Therapist

Cecilia Portnoj, MA

Blog Author

A basic requirement for a healthy body is a daily nutritious diet - repeated food choices are reflected in our health for years to come. Healthy eating should be taken care of throughout life, from an early age. Nutrition provides us with the necessary building blocks, supports the treatment and prevention of diseases, without forgetting the pleasure and social dimension that food brings.

I always focus on each client as a whole, taking into account individual starting points. Through listening, mentoring, and supporting, I help people build health, even in life situations where diet is limited for one reason or another. In addition to nutrition, I also address other well-being factors such as exercise, sleep, stress, everyday rhythm, eating behavior, and social relationships.

I try to map the factors behind the symptoms, and to offer easy-to-use action models. I do not diagnose diseases - I work closely with doctors as well as other experts, which allows for comprehensive and individualized help. I work with a big heart, my goal is to build health with a systematic but gentle approach.

Nurse Practitioner

Ulla Renvall, NP

Blog Author

Ulla Renvall is our nurse who is responsible for day to day operations, especially laboratory samples. She is often the first person people people are in contact with. Ulla is proficient in Finnish, Swedish and English.

Partner, Research and Development

Rami Valonen, B.Sc., B.G.S.

Blog Author

Rami Valonen has a diverse educational background and has worked in various positions and responsibilities in the medical industry including product manager for allergy field and (specialist) MD training. He has also worked in a Finnish Innovation Fund supported University project on infectious diseases diagnostics which resulted in a startup.

His area of interest is the development of advanced treatment models for chronic diseases using computer modeling, herbal research and advancement of Lyme and Co-infections awareness. He has presented in conferences in multiple countries and is often involved in the regulatory side also.

Product & Research Manager

Tapio Rantapirkola, B.Sc

Blog Author

Tapio began his career in the pharmaceutical industry in 1998 and has since worked for various companies in the health sector. He has experience in various sales and marketing tasks of prescription drugs and pharmacy products, as well as in conducting clinical drug trials (phase 4) in Finland.

In addition, Tapio was part of the team on a University of Jyväskylä infectious diseases diagnostics research team which lead to a new IVD devices manufacturing company. His responsibilities included the legality of operations, documentation related to product development and production, and the establishment and maintenance of an ISO 13485: 2016 certified quality management system.

Tapio has extensive experience in demanding and successful development projects that have received public funding, as well as consulting projects in the pharmaceutical industry. Tapio is also familiar with co-operation with ethics committees and authorities.

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