Interview
In conversation with
Saara Rissanen
Saara Rissanen is advancing Parkinson’s care with Adamant Health, bringing objective, longitudinal measurement into everyday practice through CE-marked analytics that combine surface EMG with motion data. As CTO & Chief Scientist with 18+ years in biosignal analysis, she focuses on turning raw signals into clinically usable insight—so treatment decisions rely on evidence, not short, subjective clinic snapshots. The proposition is precise and humane: measure what matters continuously, personalize therapy, and let clinicians act earlier and with confidence.
Let’s use technology not to replace the human touch in healthcare but to protect it.
Clinic visits capture minutes; Parkinson’s fluctuates by hours. Rissanen’s team addresses this gap with wearable sensing plus EMG–motion fusion to detect tremor, bradykinesia, dyskinesia—and even rigidity—while cross-validating signals for reliability. The result is a clearer picture of progression and treatment effect, enabling data-driven adjustments and earlier interventions. Adoption, she stresses, hinges on fit with workflows, privacy and trust, clinician and patient education, and reimbursement that rewards objective evidence. At the system level, she argues for open ecosystems and common standards so innovations don’t have to be rebuilt country by country—and for leadership that supports caregivers through continuous change while setting strong governance for AI and data use.
Lessons from Objective PD Measurement:
Evidence in Motion
What we cover
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How EMG combined with motion delivers deeper PD insight—including accurate detection of rigidity
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Why continuous, objective measurement outperforms short, subjective clinic assessments in guiding therapy
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What barriers slow adoption—workflow integration, privacy and trust, reimbursement, and digital literacy—and how to address them
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Where open standards, interoperability, and modern reimbursement can scale objective PD management across systems
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Which leadership moves matter now—patient-centered incentives, caregiver support, and clear AI/data governance that protects the human touch
Saara Rissanen ist Co-founder, and CTO & Chief Scientist of Adamant Health, a Finnish science-based health-tech startup developing precision analysis technology to enable data-driven disease management of movement disorders. Her background is in research, with a focus on neurophysiological measurements and motion analysis. She holds the Title of Docent in Medical Physics from the University of Eastern Finland.
About
Saara Rissanen
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