CURRICULUM VITAE Name: DoB & Nationality: Address: Telephone & E-Mail: Internet references: Stefan Björkman (née Kothe) Born February 06, 1984, in Hoyerswerda, Germany, German citizen Jaalaranta 10 D 64, FIN-00180, Helsinki, Finland +358 50 415 0202, Stefan.bjorkman@helsinki.fi https://tuhat.helsinki.fi/portal/en/person/kothe https://www.facebook.com/pigresearch/ Current Position Clinical teacher for animal reproduction, with special emphasis on porcine and bovine reproduction, andrology, reproductive biotechnology, and obstetrics Department of Production Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland University education 2002 2005 Biology, Faculty of Natural Science, Martin Luther University, Halle- Wittenberg, Germany 2005 2012 Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Free University of Berlin, Germany 2007 2008 Visiting student, Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences 2010 2011 Visiting student, Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland 2012-2017 Post-graduate student, PhD candidate (swine reproduction), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Production Animal Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland Academic degrees 2012 Licentiate of Veterinary Medicine degree, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Free University of Berlin, Germany 2017 Doctorate / PhD degree, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland; Degree: Past with distinction. 2017 Diplomate of the European College of Animal Reproduction (subspecies porcine reproduction and herd health)
Doctoral Thesis Björkman, S. (2017). Parturition and subsequent uterine health and fertility in sows. Article in conference publications Kothe S, Vehmas S, Peltoniemi OAT, 2012: Follicle size at ovulation may affect fertility in the sow. Reprod. Dom. Anim. 47: 92. Oliviero C, Kothe S, Yun J, Valros A, Peltoniemi OAT, 2012: Long duration of farrowing may be associated with subsequent follicular development in sows. Reprod. Dom. Anim. 47: 101. Kothe S, Vehmas S, Yun J, Oliviero C, Peltoniemi OAT, 2013: Short or long duration of farrowing oxytocin concentrations at estrus are similar in sows, 2013. Reprod. Dom. Anim. 48: 96. Peltoniemi OAT, Kothe S, Kauffold J, Valros A, Oliviero C, 2014. Farrowing complications increase stillborn rate and neonatal mortality in the pig. Reprod. Dom. Anim. 49: 39. Kothe S, Peltoniemi OAT, Oliviero C, Niku M, 2014. RNA extraction from ovarian tissue collected with a transvaginal ultrasound-guided biopsy method in sows. Reprod. Dom. Anim. 49: 45. Kothe S, Oliviero C, Soede N, Peltoniemi OAT, 2014. Transvaginal ultrasound-guided biopsy collection of ovarian tissue in sows. Reprod. Dom. Anim. 49: 77. Björkman S, Oliviero O, Peltoniemi OAT, 2015. Post-partum ultrasound examination of the uterus as diagnostic tool for birth complications in sows. Reprod. Dom. Anim. 50: 38. Björkman S, Peltoniemi OAT, Oliviero C, Soede N, 2015. Incidences of retained placenta and their effect on subsequent fertility in sows. Reprod. Dom. Anim. 50: 72. Björkman S, Oliviero C, Soede N, Peltoniemi O, 2016. Sows that fail to become pregnant show luteal regression at day 13 after mating. Reprod. Dom. Anim. Peltoniemi O, Björkman S, Oliviero C, Soede N, 2016. Positive effect of oxytocin on placenta expulsion. Reprod. Dom. Anim. Björkman S, Oliviero S, Peltoniemi O, 2017. Increase In Backfat Reduces The Thickness Of The Uterus Prepartum. 9 th ESPHM, book of abstracts Björkman S, Oliviero S, Peltoniemi O, 2017. Prolonged Farrowing May Increase Weight Loss During Lactation. 9 th ESPHM, book of abstracts Björkman S., Oliviero C., Hasan S., and Peltoniemi O, 2017. Mammary gland edema as a cause of postpartum dysgalactia in the sow - a case report. Reprod Dom Anim. 52:72.
Refereed journal article Oliviero C, Kothe S, Heinonen M, Valros A, Peltoniemi OAT, 2013: Prolonged duration of farrowing is associated with subsequent decreased fertility in sows. Theriogenology 79, 7, pp. 1095-1099. Björkman S, Yun J, Niku M, Oliviero C, Soede NM and Peltoniemi OAT, 2016. Serial transvaginal ultrasound-guided biopsy of the porcine corpus luteum in vivo. Reproduction, Fertility and Development; DOI: 10.1071/RD15435 Peltoniemi O, Björkman S, Maes D, 2016. Reproduction of group-housed sows. Porcine Health Management 2:15; DOI: 10.1186/s40813-016-0033-2 Peltoniemi O, Björkman S, and Oliviero C, 2016. Parturition effects on reproductive health in the gilt and sow. Reproduction in Domestic Animals 51.S2: 36-47. Yun J, Björkman S, Pöytäkangas M, and Peltoniemi O, 2017. The effects of ovarian biopsy and blood sampling methods on salivary cortisol and behaviour in sows. Research in veterinary science, 114, 80-85. Björkman S, Oliviero C, Rajala-Schultz P, Soede N, and Peltoniemi O, 2017. The effect of litter size, parity and farrowing duration on placenta expulsion and retention in sows. Theriogenology. Björkman S, Oliviero C, Kauffold J, Soede NM and Peltoniemi O, 2018. Prolonged parturition and impaired placenta expulsion increase the risk of postpartum metritis and delay uterine involution in sows. Theriogenology, 106, 87-92. Yun J, Björkman S, Oliviero C, Soede NM and Peltoniemi O (submitted). The effect of farrowing duration and parity on plasma oxytocin concentrations and follicular development in post-weaning sows. Other professional publications Kothe S, 2013: Management of highly prolific sows at farrowing is important for their fertility and piglet survival. Eesti Loomaarstlik Ringvaade 1/2013, pp. 9-15. Peltoniemi OAT, Kothe S, 2014. Factors effecting ovarian function and fertility in the pig. Praksisnytt 19: 46-52. Björkman S, 2014. Fertility management of the sow after the weaning. Eläinlääkäripäivät: 327-330. Björkman S, 2017. Schnelle Geburten, gesunde Sauen. SUS 1/2017, pp. 36-39.
Academic Portfolio Stefan Björkman DVM, PhD, Diplomate ECAR 1. BASIC INFORMATION Personal and contact information Name: DoB & Nationality: Address: Telephone & E-Mail: Internet references: Stefan Björkman (née Kothe) Born February 06, 1984, in Hoyerswerda, Germany, German citizen Jaalaranta 10 D 64, FIN-00180, Helsinki, Finland +358 50 415 0202, Stefan.bjorkman@helsinki.fi https://tuhat.helsinki.fi/portal/en/person/kothe https://www.researchgate.net/profile/stefan_bjoerkman https://www.facebook.com/pigresearch/ Education and degrees I studied Biology at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (Germany) between October 2002 and June 2005 and Veterinary Medicine at the Free University of Berlin (Germany) between October 2005 and February 2012. During this period, I studied as a visiting student in Tartu (Estonia) between August 2007 and August 2008 as well as in Helsinki (Finland) between August and December 2010 and April and June 2011. In January 2012, I started as a doctoral / PhD student at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Helsinki (Finland) on the topic parturition and subsequent uterine health and fertility in sows and graduated with distinction in September 2017. Thus, I have a Licentiate and Doctorate / PhD degree in Veterinary medicine. In addition to this, I am a European Veterinary Specialist in Animal Reproduction. I passed the board exam in November 2017 with the subspecialty in porcine reproduction and herd health. Current position I am currently a clinical instructor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Helsinki (Finland) for animal reproduction, with special emphasis on porcine and bovine reproduction, andrology, reproductive biotechnology, and obstetrics. Furthermore, I am specializing in a second subspecialty (andrology and reproductive biotechnology) at the European College of Animal Reproduction. Language Skills German: English: Finnish: Estonian & French: Native Excellent Fluent Basic
2. RESEARCH AND SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES Experience in research and other scientific activities My research activity has focused on animal reproductive physiology and pathology, with special emphasis on pigs. My own projects have been focused on the diagnosis and etiology of postpartum disorders in sows, especially on how parturition affects postpartum uterine disorders and how ultrasound can be used as a diagnostic tool. Other projects of mine focused on how parturition and postpartum disorders effect subsequent fertility as well as the development and validation of a transvaginal ultrasound-guided biopsy method for luteal tissue in sows which is intended for use in genetic studies on corpora lutea function. I have presented research findings in numerous national and international conferences mostly in oral presentations. During the process of my young research career, I have gained excellent experience and expertise in planning of observational and clinical-trial studies, planning and execution of data collection, data management and analysis, scientific writing and editing, and research project management. Furthermore, I was minor involved in other research projects related to canine reproduction and andrology. I also provided expert commentary to scientific publications on request of the Editor-in-Chief of two leading journals in the field of animal reproduction and reproductive physiology. Research philosophy and ethics, primary fields of research My current research philosophy is to focus on research questions of high value in animal welfare and ethics. I aim at production animals and on how to improve neonatal survival and viability as well as reproductive health of the dam in order to improve her longevity and welfare within the herd. I am planning to work in a multidisciplinary environment, cooperating with researchers of other faculties and institutions, and to apply new imaging technologies and artificial intelligence systems in the field of animal reproduction as well as the newest methods in genetic analysis of important reproductive tissue. In my current research projects, I study how to improve parturition and neonatal management in sows using big data analytics to reveal patterns and correlations that can be used as predictions. In one of the projects, I focus on the mammary gland of sows, especially on the prepartum prediction and improvement of subsequent colostrum and milk production which is of great value for neonatal management. Furthermore, my research focuses on causes and improvement of embryonic and neonatal uniformity and viability as well as development of a monitoring system of the sow at birth with artificial intelligence systems. Furthermore, I am planning to establish research projects in other fields of animal reproduction such as andrology and reproductive biotechnology. For these research projects, I was not yet able to get major funding which is due to the fact that I was not yet allowed to apply research money as a principle investigator of a bigger research project. So far, I got granted several times minor funding (5.000 to 10.000 ) whenever applied. I am currently in the process of applying larger funding for a bigger researcher project under my supervision.
Significant publications My doctoral thesis entitled Parturition and subsequent uterine health and fertility in sows [1] is a summary-thesis based on five peer-reviewed scientific publications [2 6]. Of these five publications, I have appeared as first author in four and as a second author in one. In addition to these publication, I have contributed to one more peer-reviewed scientific publication [7] as second author, to two peer-reviewed review-articles [8, 9] as a second author and to one book chapter as a second author [10]. Furthermore, I have contributed to 15 conference-abstracts (10 as first author) and written four articles in national agricultural or veterinary magazines in Finland, Estonia, Norway, and Germany. Several of my papers have been published in scientific journals with relatively high impact factors (IF) (e.g. Reproduction, Fertility and Development, IF 2.656 and H-index 63 in 2016; Theriogenology, IF 1.986 and H-index 108 in 2016; Reproduction in Domestic Animals, IF 1.4 and H-index 50 in 2016). My first publication appeared in 2013 and was cited 13 times since then. Other publications of mine have been cited 12 times. Research assessments and awards My doctoral thesis was approved with a grade of Pass with distinction, which was the first doctoral thesis at the Department of Production Animal Medicine (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki) passing with the highest grade. In an external review of the thesis, reviewers commented that the thesis is will written and adds significant knowledge to the field of veterinary medicine. The author uses both novel and well established methods in this work which gives insights in the area of porcine fertility and This work is very innovative though very relevant for the field and gives clear and practical recommendations for pig owners and veterinary practitioners. Activities in the academic community I have been active within the academic community already during my doctoral / PhD studies. Almost all of my publications are written together with researchers of other Departments or other Universities. During my PhD, I collaborated intensively with Prof. Nicoline Soede at the Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands as well as Prof. Johannes Kauffold at the Large Animal Clinic for Theriogenology and Ambulatory Services, University of Leipzig, Germany. I have visited their research facilities couple of times. Towards the end of my PhD, I intensified collaborations for future research projects also with the teams of Prof. Heiko Nathues at the Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, Vetsuisse University Bern, Switzerland, and with Prof. Dominiek Maes at the Department of Obstetrics, reproduction and heard health, Ghent University, Belgium, as well as Prof. Ylva Sjunnesson, Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden. Besides research collaborations, I was an active member of the organizing committee of the 18 th annual ESDAR conference in 2014 in Helsinki (Finland) as well as the first summer school of the European college of animal reproduction in 2014 in Helsinki (Finland).
Visions and personal development plans At this stage of my academic career, I am looking to develop my scientific competence further by attending more specific courses on advanced research methodology and statistics. Furthermore, I am planning to be involved in several different research projects and to increase my network with other scientists. I am also looking forward to having increased responsibility in research projects as a principle investigator and finding major funding for these projects. I also want to assume increased responsibility for university-level teaching and supervision of Licentiate and Doctorate these. 3. Teaching and supervision Experience in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and supervision I began teaching at university level of undergraduate students of Veterinary Medicine as a doctoral student, with a practical course on pig reproduction, including examination of the male and female reproductive tract, semen evaluation, obstetrics and treatment of reproductive disorders. By now, I toughed this oneday course for six years (15 times per year). Furthermore, I toughed anatomy of the reproductive tract of the female pig for six years (4 times per year) and demonstrated clinical cases once a year to the students of Veterinary Medicine. I also have some experience in postgraduate teaching. I held guest lectures on a yearly one-week academic course about pig reproductive and herd health in Finland but also occasional guest lectures abroad, e.g., in Switzerland and Belgium. These courses were mainly attended by graduated Veterinarians. Furthermore, I was training residents of the European College of porcine health management in porcine reproduction. Altogether, 2 residents visited me for the time period of three weeks. During this time, the residents received from me intensive practical training, supervision of case reports, and personal lecturing. I also had two researchers visiting from institutes abroad for the time period of two to three weeks. I trained these researchers in the methodology and techniques I used in my researcher projects. Since completing my PhD studies, I am involved in university teaching of veterinary students with increased frequency and dedication. Majority of my teaching is clinical teaching in the subjects of porcine and bovine reproduction, andrology, reproductive biotechnology, and obstetrics. Furthermore, I continue the teaching that I started as a PhD student. In addition, I give webinars at the European College of Animal reproduction, hold occasional lectures about pig reproduction and I am currently outlining one doctorate project under my supervision. I will become officially the supervisor of this one PhD student in spring 2018. As a doctoral student, I successfully supervised one Licentiate thesis. Pedagogical approach and training In spring 2018, I will develop my teaching abilities by attending two or three educational course provided by the Centre for University Teaching and Learning of the University of Helsinki. Each course equals 5 ECTS credits. These courses will cover topics on Learning in Higher Education, Constructive Alignment in
Course Design, and Academic Supervision and Supervisor Training. Furthermore, I will perform online self-education on different types of educational programs, learning methods, and instructional strategies. During my courses and demonstrations as a PhD student, I used mainly the flipped classroom instructional strategy and live interactive classroom participation, using e.g. Poll everywhere, where students can answer live multiple choice question and get immediate feedback on the knowledge they have gained during lectures. Published study materials and use of educational technology As a PhD student, I prepared intensive study materials for the courses and demonstrations I gave to the undergraduate students of Veterinary Medicine. These study materials were reviewed and edited yearly. These materials are available at all time online on educational platforms such as moodle. I am currently working on animations and simulations which can be useful additions to the published materials. Furthermore, I have published as second author learning material in form of a book chapter in a textbook publication [10]. Development of teaching and visions of one s teaching Currently, the development in university-teaching is towards an increased number of students and decreased numbers of teachers, which means that teaching must become more efficient in future. I am personally very interested in new and novel teaching methods and I am planning to tackle the above mentioned development by combining online digital media with traditional classroom methods. I would like to increase the use of computers or other devices in the delivery of lecture content via internet platforms in form of webinars, presentations, and animations, and use the time available for face-to-face classroom meetings rather for optimized and personalized learning, exercises and mentoring. Furthermore, I would like to build up collaborative teaching together with experts in certain fields from other institutions. Participation in the assessment and development of teaching I have actively participated in the development and assessment of feedback questionnaires, e.g., at the first summer school of the European college of Animal Reproduction. These feedback questionnaires have been of great value for future summer schools. Currently, I am developing feedback questionnaires for the courses and demonstrations I gave as a PhD student. In future, feedback will be more systematically and anonymously collected every year after each course. Feedback is extremely important to me and I use it as base for development of my own teaching skills. So far, I have received good personal feedback from students such as very interesting and inspiring lecture and The teacher was very good, spoke clearly and was easy to follow. Furthermore, I am currently assessing the past teaching methods and contents of the courses I start teaching in future as a clinical instructor in order to better develop the knowledge and skills of undergraduate Veterinary students.
4. Administration and other activities Administrative and management duties During my years as a PhD student, I have received several minor research grant (5.000 10.000 ). As the receiver of the funding, I had to administer the budget and report the project s process to the funding body. Furthermore, I have supervised one Licentiate thesis which included research project management, consulting on Methodology and data management, as well as review of the manuscript. In spring 2018, I will become officially the supervisor of one PhD student. In addition, I am the secretary of the pig research group of the University of Helsinki. Duties in one's field outside the University I was an active member of the organizing committee of the 18th annual ESDAR conference in 2014 in Helsinki (Finland) as well as the first summer school of the European college of animal reproduction in 2014 in Helsinki (Finland). Furthermore, I am organizing and holding webinars at the European College of Animal Reproduction. I also maintain a connection to clinical working as a consultant in several large pig herds in Finland. Publications, presentations and dissemination of scientific knowledge through other means I try to spread new scientific knowledge in a simple and understanding way through social media such as Facebook. Our research group has currently an active Facebook page where newest research results are published, people in the society are informed about presentations and courses and where individual persons can send messages to ask professional opinions. In future, I am planning to make also use of other platforms such as Blogs and Wikis. Furthermore, our newest research findings are distributed to national Veterinarians each year at the Finnish Veterinary Days. 5. References [1] Björkman, S. (2017). Parturition and subsequent uterine health and fertility in sows. [2] Oliviero, C., Kothe, S., Heinonen, M., Valros, A., & Peltoniemi, O. (2013). Prolonged duration of farrowing is associated with subsequent decreased fertility in sows. Theriogenology, 79(7), 1095-1099. [3] Björkman, S., Yun, J., Niku, M., Oliviero, C., Soede, N. M., & Peltoniemi, O. A. T. (2017). Serial transvaginal ultrasound-guided biopsy of the porcine corpus luteum in vivo. Reproduction, Fertility and Development, 29(5), 931-939. [4] Björkman, S., Oliviero, C., Rajala-Schultz, P. J., Soede, N. M., & Peltoniemi, O. A. T. (2017). The effect of litter size, parity and farrowing duration on placenta expulsion and retention in sows. Theriogenology, 92, 36-44.
[5] Björkman, S., Oliviero, C., Kauffold, J., Soede, N. M., & Peltoniemi, O. A. T. (2018). Prolonged parturition and impaired placenta expulsion increase the risk of postpartum metritis and delay uterine involution in sows. Theriogenology, 106, 87-92. [6] Yun, J., Björkman, S., Oliviero, C., Soede, N. M., & Peltoniemi, O. A. T. (submitted). The effect of farrowing duration and parity on plasma oxytocin concentrations and follicular development in postweaning sows. [7] Yun, J., Björkman, S., Pöytäkangas, M., & Peltoniemi, O. (2017). The effects of ovarian biopsy and blood sampling methods on salivary cortisol and behaviour in sows. Research in veterinary science, 114, 80-85. [8] Peltoniemi, O. A. T., Björkman, S., & Oliviero, C. (2016). Parturition effects on reproductive health in the gilt and sow. Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 51(S2), 36-47. [9] Peltoniemi, O., Björkman, S., & Maes, D. (2016). Reproduction of group-housed sows. Porcine Health Management, 2(1), 15. [10] Peltoniemi, O., Björkman, S., & Oliviero, C. (Submitted). Disorders of parturition and puerperium in the gilt and sow. In Veterinary Reproduction and Obstetrics. Elsevier.