Who Is Who

Pikani Jaanus - Estonia

Title: Chairman of the Estonian Genome Foundation

Dr Jaanus Pikani is chairman of the Estonian Genome Foundation – a NGO that initiated the Estonian Genome Project, a population based health and genome data collection in Estonia. Responding to the initiative Estonian parliament approved in 2000 special law enabling large scale genomic data collection. Jaanus Pikani has been working more than 10 years as a cancer and reconstructive surgeon. From 1994 he was in different areas of public service (secretary general of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Chief of Staff Estonian President). In 1998 he was appointed as CEO of Tartu University Clinics to conduct a merger of 15 different organisations to the biggest hospital in Estonia. As being among the initiators and architects of the Estonian Genome Project, Jaanus Pikani has followed closely international developments in various aspects of health and genome data collection. Dr Pikani is also a founder of the Estonian biotech company Asper Biotech and serving on the board of the Estonian Biotechnology Association. He is also member of the ScanBalt Steering Committee.