Riikka Kurkijärvi works as a Chief Physician and the Head of the Finnish National Newborn Screening Centre (Saske) at the Turku University Hospital Laboratory Division, Department of Genomics. She is an M.D. Ph.D. and a specialist in clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine. She obtained her Ph.D. in the field of immunology.

She has been working at the Saske Screening Centre since its establishment and was involved in implementing nationwide newborn blood spot screening in Finland a decade ago. Since 2020, she has been the head of the national screening centre. Previously, she has also been responsible for, e.g., the cord blood screening of congenital hypothyroidism at Turku University Hospital.