Members of the Executive Board

Priit Perens, Chairman of the Executive Board

Priit Perens graduated cum laude from the University of Tartu in the specialty of Economic Cybernetics and has studied the Philosophy of Economics at the doctoral level at the University of Tartu. Since 2017, he has been a member of the Supervisory Board of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund. He has been involved in Estonian banking since its inception, working in various positions. He was the CEO of Swedbank AS from 2008–2014, a member of the management of the Swedbank Group from 2015–2017, being responsible for Baltic Banking, and was the Chairman of the Supervisory Boards of Baltic subsidiaries. From 2017–2019, he was a member of the Supervisory Board of the Swedbank Group’s Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian banks.

Dr Liis Salumäe, member of the Executive Board, Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Liis Salumäe graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Tartu in 2007 and in 2011 completed residency with specialisation in pathology. Since 2007, she has been associated with the pathology service of the Tartu University Hospital, having worked there as a resident doctor, pathologist, and from 2017 to 2022 as a manager. From 2022, Dr. Salumäe is also a senior lecturer. In 2014-2015, she gained experience at Karolinska University Hospital. Dr. Salumäe’s work experience has given her the opportunity to shape and develop the daily work, planning and carrying out development activities, cooperation with various national institutions, including educational institutions. Dr. Salumäe belongs to various advisory units related to the specialty, and she also manages the work of the professional society.

Joel Starkopf, member of the Executive Board, Head of Research and Development

Professor Joel Starkopf graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Tartu in 1991, completing an internship in anaesthesiology and intensive care a year later. He defended his doctoral dissertation in 1997. From 2001 until 2021, Professor Starkopf served as the Head of the Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Clinic at Tartu University Hospital and since 2001 in the University of Tartu. During the period 2009–2015 he served as the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Tartu, and in the years 2016-2021 he has served as the Head of the Institute of Clinical Medicine. Professor Starkopf is the research editor of for the journal Eesti Arst, member of the Research Infrastructure Evaluation Committee of the Estonian Research Council, and Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Health Insurance Indicators at the Estonian Health Insurance Fund, as well as being a member of several other professional societies and committees.

Ilona Pastarus, member of the Executive Board, Head of Nursing and Patient Experience

Ilona Pastarus is a graduate of the Tartu Medical School and Tartu Health Care College, in addition to being a 2020 graduate of the Master’s degree programme in Intensive Nursing at Tartu Health Care College. She has been associated with Tartu University Hospital since 1993, when she began working in the Department of Neurology. During the period 2003 to 2008, she worked as the project manager in the training centre of the University Hospital, and from 2011 as a senior nurse in the 2nd intensive care department of the Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Clinic. From 1 January 2020 until April 2021 Ilona Pastarus has been the Head Nurse in the same clinic.