Msheireb Museums and Sidra Medicine Kickstart 2025 Science Café Series

Doha, Qatar – 18 February 2024: Following a successful inaugural year, Msheireb Museums, in partnership with Sidra Medicine, conducted the first session of their 2025 Science Café Series. Titled “Nurturing Health: Our Microbiome and AI-Driven Insights for Wellness,” the session, held on Monday, attracted a large audience at Bin Jelmood House, in Msheireb Downtown Doha.

Science Café, which was jointly launched in 2024 by Msheireb Museums and Sidra Medicine, is designed to promote public understanding of healthcare innovation, research and wellness updates through accessible, and interactive dialogues.

Abdulla Al Naama, General Manager of Msheireb Museums, emphasised: “Msheireb Museums is more than a space for exhibitions, it is a platform for storytelling and social dialogue. The Science Café series allows us the opportunity to provide current perspectives on Qatar’s evolving healthcare landscape, while also inspiring the public through meaningful discussions. Renewing our partnership with Sidra Medicine for another year was a natural next step and a fitting culmination of our efforts to establish Msheireb Museums as a multidisciplinary platform for dialogue. We are grateful to Sidra Medicine for their continued collaboration in making this initiative a success.”

Prof. Khalid Fakhro, Chief Research Officer from Sidra Medicine, said: “The new series of Science Café 2025 promises to be more interactive and engaging. It is thanks to our partners, Msheireb Museums, that our concept became a reality in 2024 and grew from a small community initiative, to one that has educated, informed and engaged hundreds of families and students in Qatar about science and culture. We hope that our efforts will continue to create opportunities for the community to see the initiatives and research that are shaping the future of healthcare, for the children of today and tomorrow.”

The Nurturing Health session featured two presentations delivered by experts from Sidra Medicine. Dr. Souhaila Al Khodor discussed “Gut Instincts: Decoding the Hidden World Within” and provided an introduction to the human microbiome, explaining its functions and the factors that influence its composition, such as lifestyle, diet, and environment.

Meanwhile, “Revolutionising Women’s Wellness: AI & Precision Nutrition” by Dr. Annalisa Terranegra addressed the use of precision nutrition in improving health and managing diseases. The session covered the latest applications in the field, including wearable technology, AI-driven apps, and DNA and microbiome tests that help personalise nutritional plans and dietary interventions. The panel session, featuring both speakers, also included Ms. Sirine Abou Al Hassan, Chief Clinical Dietitian from AMAN Hospital.

Dr. Sahar Da’as, Research Manager at Sidra Medicine, and founder and lead of the Science Café series, said: “We are thrilled to bring back our popular Science Café series and to renew our partnership with Msheireb Museums. The response from the public, students and families has been very positive and also indicative of the need to bring science to the community. This year, we are focusing on topics related to AI in healthcare, community health, wellness and specialist topics. We have also taken on board audience feedback to update the Science Café 2025 series, by extending the panel sessions, allowing for more audience interaction and engagement with our experts.”

The 2025 Science Café Series will feature topics such as AI in precision medicine; community health; the wellness and comprehensive care industry and rare genetic conditions. For details about Science Café and to register for future sessions, please visit www.sidra.org.