Ilkka Helanterä, MD, PhD, works as a transplant nephrologist at the Helsinki University Hospital abdominal transplant center and is an adjunct professor of nephrology at the University of Helsinki.

His research interests are focused on kidney transplantation with both epidemiological and molecular aspects, with interests on topics such as viral infections, delayed graft function, and outcome research employing multiple health care registries.

He is a former associate editor of Transplant International, and is currently an associate editor and director of the Editorial Fellowship Program in American Journal of Transplantation.

In addition to multiple roles in Scandiatransplant (such as steering committees of acceptable mismatch and kidney exchange programs), he is also a coordinating committee member in Transplant Therapeutics Consortium.