Foundations behind the PrecMed 2022
Paavo Nurmi Foundation
No athlete this century has evoked such universal admiration as Paavo Nurmi – the Finnish runner supreme.
The son of a carpenter, Nurmi was born in Turku, on Finland’s south-west coast, in 1897. At various stages of his amazing athletic career Paavo Nurmi won a total of 40 world records, including every race from 1500 metres to 20 kilometres. During the course of three Olympic Games he won nine gold medals and three silvers.
Although he took great care of his physical health, he suffered from myocardial infarction the age of 60 and later stroke, despite the absence of all the known risk factors. He died from multiple complications of atherosclerosis at the age of 76. As Nurmi realized that the cause of atherosclerosis were far from being understood, he created a foundation in his name 1968 for the purpose of financing research on cardiovascular diseases. PrecMed 2022 will be the 19th one funded by the Paavo Nurmi Foundation.
Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation
The Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation was established on 16 December, 1954, by Mrs. Hilma Jahnsson (1882-1975), donating funds acquired together with her husband. She herself wished to stay in the background, stipulating that the name of the foundation must never be changed. Thus it only bears the name of her spouse, Professor Yrjö Jahnsson (1877-1936), although it actually owes a great deal to them both. Yrjö Jahnsson was active in many fields, such as financing private schools for Finnish-speaking youths.
The purpose of the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation is to promote Finnish research in economics and medicine, and to maintain and support Finnish educational and research facilities. It also supports Finnish research in medical economics, overlapping with both the aforementioned fields. The Foundation organizes lectures and seminars, such as Yrjö Jahnsson Lectures and Medical Symposiums. PrecMed 2022 will be the 20th Medical Symposium funded by the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation.
