Karoliina Snell
Biographic Data
| ID | 291141 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Karoliina Snell |
| GIVEN NAMES | Karoliina |
| FAMILY NAME | Snell |
| SIGNATURE | SNELL K |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Helsinki |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2643-6676 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 48 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 15 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2001 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Complete the Test First” Prescreening Tests at the Margins of Digital Public Administration
Western welfare states are rushing to digitalise access to public services and citizens’ interactions with public institutions. Finland exemplifies this trend towards digital‐first administration. In this article, we discuss digital public administration and the interaction between citizens and the state through the example of digital prescreening tests. Digital prescreening tests are interactive webpages or mobile apps in which a citizen‐user is…
The politics of constructing health data spaces
This article explores the construction of health data spaces through the lens of border work. It provides insights into the complex attachments and detachments that come to the fore when establishing centralized health data access bodies in the Nordic countries. By comparing Denmark, Norway, and Finland, the study unveils a variety of border work practices. These practices include the complex interplay between national infrastructures, local prac…
Strategies on personalized medicine and the power of the imagined public
Personalized medicine has become a central focus of health and innovation policies in many countries. It is a complex policy field which, in the pursuit of both health and wealth, brings together technology, new data use, and medical care. The aim of this paper is to analyze how the notion of personalized medicine has evolved, and what publics are implied in the political mobilization of the concept. We answer these questions based on a document …
A solidarity paradox - welfare state data in global health data economy
Nordic welfare states have well institutionalised practises of gathering health and social wellbeing data from their citizens. The establishment of population registers coincided with the building of welfare state institutions and a social contract relying on solidarity. During the last decade, the significance of Nordic registers and health data has increased and they have become sources of economic value. Recent policies expect registers, healt…
‘The window of opportunity is closing’—advocating urgency and unity
Science and science policy are characterised by expectations. These expectations—as in the field of biomedicine—may be related to describing novel findings, their use in curing diseases or their economic benefits. Previous research has shown that expectations are often communicated with the help of metaphors. In this article, we take a closer look at one metaphor—‘closing window of opportunity’—and examine how it frames discussions about policy a…
“Here comes Bio-me”
Finnish biobanks have started to recruit children. The national supervising authority has emphasized the centrality of providing children with age-appropriate information. We analyzed one such campaign. We argue that by simplifying the complex socio-technical arrangements of biobanking with the introduction of a new metaphor-like concept, “Bio-me,” the campaign presents a misleading and reductionist picture of data-driven biomedicine and biobank …
The Nordic data imaginary
The Nordic countries aim to have a unique place within the European and global health data economy. They have extensive nationally maintained and centralized health data records, as well as numerous biobanks where data from individuals can be connected based on personal identification numbers. Much of this phenomenon can be attributed to the emergence and development of the Nordic welfare state, where Nordic countries sought to systematically col…
Well, I knew this already' - explaining personal genetic risk information through narrative meaning-making
This article presents results from a Finnish focus group's study conducted among participants of a project called GeneRISK, in which the participants received a personal risk score for having a cardiovascular event based on genetic analysis, lifestyle and laboratory results. In the discussions, interpretations of the genetic risk score and its meaning were incorporated into personal narratives of health and illness. We argue that instead of servi…
From health to wealth
Questioning the rhetoric of a ‘willing population’ in Finnish biobanking
According to surveys and opinion polls, citizens in Nordic welfare societies have positive, supportive attitudes towards medical research and biobanking. In Finland, it was expected that this would result in the active biobank participation of patients and citizens. Indeed, public support has been rhetorically utilised as a unique societal factor and advantage in the promotion of Finnish biobanks, underlining the potential Finland offers for the …
Rethinking Therapeutic Misconception in Biobanking – Ambivalence Between Research and Treatment
Some authors have noted that in biobank re search participants may be guided by what is called therapeutic misconception, whereby participants attribute therapeutic intent to research procedures (Zawati and Knoppers, 2012; Lidz and Appelbaum, 2002). This article argues that the notion of therapeutic misconception is increasingly less justified when evaluating biobanks. We present four examples taken from recent developments in biobanking to argue…
Beyond and within public engagement
Social studies on biobanking have traditionally focused on public engagement, that is, engagement with donors, patients and the general public as an important factor of sustainability. In this article, we claim that, in order to fully understand the way biobanks work, it is necessary to pay attention to a number of other actors, which have an equal, if not greater, impact on their practices and strategies. This means taking a broadened approach t…
Constructing populations in biobanking
This article poses the question of whether biobanking practices and standards are giving rise to the construction of populations from which various biobanking initiatives increasingly draw on for legitimacy? We argue that although recent biobanking policies encourage various forms of engagement with publics to ensure legitimacy, different biobanks conceptualize their engagement strategies very differently. We suggest that biobanks undertake a bro…
National interests and international collaboration
Recent trends in biobanking indicate that the practices associated with the collection and use of human tissue samples and related health information are increasingly becoming premised on networks of biobanks. These networks and partnerships often involve international collaborations, as well as public–private partnerships. This article reports on the results of a study of people's attitudes towards biobanking and the biomedical use of tissue sam…
The Weakening Connection Between Education and Research
The focus of this article is on the relationship between research and education. The argument is that recent policy developments and the increasing emphasis on commercialisation and profitability of university activities weakens the connection of education and research. In this article, general characteristics of development of universities and university policy in Finland are summarised. Main subjects of the analysis are three university departm…
From health to wealth
The Nordic data imaginary
The Nordic countries aim to have a unique place within the European and global health data economy. They have extensive nationally maintained and centralized health data records, as well as numerous biobanks where data from individuals can be connected based on personal identification numbers. Much of this phenomenon can be attributed to the emergence and development of the Nordic welfare state, where Nordic countries sought to systematically col…
Questioning the rhetoric of a ‘willing population’ in Finnish biobanking
According to surveys and opinion polls, citizens in Nordic welfare societies have positive, supportive attitudes towards medical research and biobanking. In Finland, it was expected that this would result in the active biobank participation of patients and citizens. Indeed, public support has been rhetorically utilised as a unique societal factor and advantage in the promotion of Finnish biobanks, underlining the potential Finland offers for the …
Well, I knew this already' - explaining personal genetic risk information through narrative meaning-making
This article presents results from a Finnish focus group's study conducted among participants of a project called GeneRISK, in which the participants received a personal risk score for having a cardiovascular event based on genetic analysis, lifestyle and laboratory results. In the discussions, interpretations of the genetic risk score and its meaning were incorporated into personal narratives of health and illness. We argue that instead of servi…
Constructing populations in biobanking
This article poses the question of whether biobanking practices and standards are giving rise to the construction of populations from which various biobanking initiatives increasingly draw on for legitimacy? We argue that although recent biobanking policies encourage various forms of engagement with publics to ensure legitimacy, different biobanks conceptualize their engagement strategies very differently. We suggest that biobanks undertake a bro…
National interests and international collaboration
Recent trends in biobanking indicate that the practices associated with the collection and use of human tissue samples and related health information are increasingly becoming premised on networks of biobanks. These networks and partnerships often involve international collaborations, as well as public–private partnerships. This article reports on the results of a study of people's attitudes towards biobanking and the biomedical use of tissue sam…
A solidarity paradox - welfare state data in global health data economy
Nordic welfare states have well institutionalised practises of gathering health and social wellbeing data from their citizens. The establishment of population registers coincided with the building of welfare state institutions and a social contract relying on solidarity. During the last decade, the significance of Nordic registers and health data has increased and they have become sources of economic value. Recent policies expect registers, healt…
The Weakening Connection Between Education and Research
The focus of this article is on the relationship between research and education. The argument is that recent policy developments and the increasing emphasis on commercialisation and profitability of university activities weakens the connection of education and research. In this article, general characteristics of development of universities and university policy in Finland are summarised. Main subjects of the analysis are three university departm…
National interests and international collaboration
Recent trends in biobanking indicate that the practices associated with the collection and use of human tissue samples and related health information are increasingly becoming premised on networks of biobanks. These networks and partnerships often involve international collaborations, as well as public–private partnerships. This article reports on the results of a study of people's attitudes towards biobanking and the biomedical use of tissue sam…
Beyond and within public engagement
Social studies on biobanking have traditionally focused on public engagement, that is, engagement with donors, patients and the general public as an important factor of sustainability. In this article, we claim that, in order to fully understand the way biobanks work, it is necessary to pay attention to a number of other actors, which have an equal, if not greater, impact on their practices and strategies. This means taking a broadened approach t…
Constructing populations in biobanking
This article poses the question of whether biobanking practices and standards are giving rise to the construction of populations from which various biobanking initiatives increasingly draw on for legitimacy? We argue that although recent biobanking policies encourage various forms of engagement with publics to ensure legitimacy, different biobanks conceptualize their engagement strategies very differently. We suggest that biobanks undertake a bro…
Rethinking Therapeutic Misconception in Biobanking – Ambivalence Between Research and Treatment
Some authors have noted that in biobank re search participants may be guided by what is called therapeutic misconception, whereby participants attribute therapeutic intent to research procedures (Zawati and Knoppers, 2012; Lidz and Appelbaum, 2002). This article argues that the notion of therapeutic misconception is increasingly less justified when evaluating biobanks. We present four examples taken from recent developments in biobanking to argue…
From health to wealth
Questioning the rhetoric of a ‘willing population’ in Finnish biobanking
According to surveys and opinion polls, citizens in Nordic welfare societies have positive, supportive attitudes towards medical research and biobanking. In Finland, it was expected that this would result in the active biobank participation of patients and citizens. Indeed, public support has been rhetorically utilised as a unique societal factor and advantage in the promotion of Finnish biobanks, underlining the potential Finland offers for the …
The Nordic data imaginary
The Nordic countries aim to have a unique place within the European and global health data economy. They have extensive nationally maintained and centralized health data records, as well as numerous biobanks where data from individuals can be connected based on personal identification numbers. Much of this phenomenon can be attributed to the emergence and development of the Nordic welfare state, where Nordic countries sought to systematically col…
Well, I knew this already' - explaining personal genetic risk information through narrative meaning-making
This article presents results from a Finnish focus group's study conducted among participants of a project called GeneRISK, in which the participants received a personal risk score for having a cardiovascular event based on genetic analysis, lifestyle and laboratory results. In the discussions, interpretations of the genetic risk score and its meaning were incorporated into personal narratives of health and illness. We argue that instead of servi…
“Here comes Bio-me”
Finnish biobanks have started to recruit children. The national supervising authority has emphasized the centrality of providing children with age-appropriate information. We analyzed one such campaign. We argue that by simplifying the complex socio-technical arrangements of biobanking with the introduction of a new metaphor-like concept, “Bio-me,” the campaign presents a misleading and reductionist picture of data-driven biomedicine and biobank …
‘The window of opportunity is closing’—advocating urgency and unity
Science and science policy are characterised by expectations. These expectations—as in the field of biomedicine—may be related to describing novel findings, their use in curing diseases or their economic benefits. Previous research has shown that expectations are often communicated with the help of metaphors. In this article, we take a closer look at one metaphor—‘closing window of opportunity’—and examine how it frames discussions about policy a…
Strategies on personalized medicine and the power of the imagined public
Personalized medicine has become a central focus of health and innovation policies in many countries. It is a complex policy field which, in the pursuit of both health and wealth, brings together technology, new data use, and medical care. The aim of this paper is to analyze how the notion of personalized medicine has evolved, and what publics are implied in the political mobilization of the concept. We answer these questions based on a document …
A solidarity paradox - welfare state data in global health data economy
Nordic welfare states have well institutionalised practises of gathering health and social wellbeing data from their citizens. The establishment of population registers coincided with the building of welfare state institutions and a social contract relying on solidarity. During the last decade, the significance of Nordic registers and health data has increased and they have become sources of economic value. Recent policies expect registers, healt…
Complete the Test First” Prescreening Tests at the Margins of Digital Public Administration
Western welfare states are rushing to digitalise access to public services and citizens’ interactions with public institutions. Finland exemplifies this trend towards digital‐first administration. In this article, we discuss digital public administration and the interaction between citizens and the state through the example of digital prescreening tests. Digital prescreening tests are interactive webpages or mobile apps in which a citizen‐user is…
The politics of constructing health data spaces
This article explores the construction of health data spaces through the lens of border work. It provides insights into the complex attachments and detachments that come to the fore when establishing centralized health data access bodies in the Nordic countries. By comparing Denmark, Norway, and Finland, the study unveils a variety of border work practices. These practices include the complex interplay between national infrastructures, local prac…
Political science (12 works) · Computer Science (8 works) · Law (8 works) · Public relations (8 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Biobank (6 works) · Engineering (6 works) · Ethics in Clinical Research (6 works) · Biomedical Ethics and Regulation (5 works) · Psychology (5 works)