Markku Nieminen is Professor of Cardiology and Head of Department of Medicine at the University of Helsinki Central Hospital, Finland. He graduated as a specialist in internal medicine from the University of Helsinki in 1980 before becoming a research fellow in cardiology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. and 1982 specialist in cardiology
Professor Nieminen has been an active member of the Finnish Cardiac Society for many years, and served as its President from 1991 to 1992 in addition to several other positions. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Finnish Heart Association, the Arne Koskelo Foundation, and currently acts as Chairman of the board of governors of the Finnish Heart Foundation. Nieminen has been member of the Board of the ESC and acted actively in several committees, especially in cardiology training and education committees. He is involved with a number of European Advisory Boards for Cardiology and is also a member of the Editorial Board of the European Heart Journal and the European Journal of Heart Failure. Nieminen was the financial officer of the working group of Heart Failure for 3 terms and has served as member of the acute heart failure group of the Heart Failure Association of ESC. His research interests include coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction, heart failure and cardiac transplantation and he is involved in a number of major multicentre trials including LOCAT, LIFE, ALERT, ASCOT, OPTIMAAL SURVIVE, ASCEND HF and several heart failure projects. Professor Nieminen was the chairman of the Task Force on Acute Heart Failure Guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology and later member of the Heart Failure Guidelines Committee of ESC 2008.
His current position is head of Department of Medicine besides his academic and clinical responsibilities.