About Research Department
Research Mission and Strategy
At Sidra Medicine, we envision a future where transformative research is not confined to labs but is integrated into every patient’s journey. This vision fuels our mission to redefine healthcare by making research the cornerstone of exceptional patient care.
Every individual who walks through our doors benefits from the latest advancements in medicine, thanks to seamless access to cutting-edge technologies and research-driven treatments.
Our dedicated research teams work hand-in-hand with medical staff across all departments, ensuring that scientific breakthroughs translate directly into tangible improvements in patient outcomes.
Our approach is based on close collaboration between patients, trainees, physicians, and researchers. This ensures that patient experiences and insights directly contribute to improving their own care and the lives of countless others.
This makes Sidra Medicine a leader in healthcare innovation and sets a new standard for academic medical centers in the region and beyond.
In line with these goals, the Research Branch is tasked to deliver a hospital-wide Precision Medicine Program for Sidra Medicine, built upon the philosophy that research technologies and innovation should play a prominent role in every patient’s journey. Strategically, this Program is designed to integrate research into clinical workflows across three pillars:
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Research for every patient – developing protocols that allow every patient access to cutting-edge research studies via informed consent
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Advanced Diagnostics – leveraging next-generation research technologies (e.g., genome sequencing) to dissect diseases and identify their causes at an ultra-high resolution, beyond the limits currently available as standard-of-care
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Personalized Therapy – Establishing infrastructure and systems to deliver advanced therapies (e.g., stem cells and gene therapy) and support a culture of clinical trials at Sidra Medicine
These strategic pillars require close collaboration, trust and interactions between patients, trainees, physicians, and researchers to advance care at Sidra Medicine. Such a multidisciplinary approach reinforces how education, research and clinical care merge and can become part of every patient’s journey with us; ensuring that discoveries made from patients go towards improving their very own care, delivering personalized medicine to all.
Our common goal is to become a key differentiator, setting Sidra Medicine apart from its peers in the local, regional and international context, and positioning Sidra Medicine as a unique Academic Medical Center serving patients from Qatar and abroad.
Institutional Collaborations
Sidra Medicine Research Branch collaborates with numerous educational and research institutions. We have created partnerships with these organizations to carry out specific research projects and activities, continuing the advancement of world-class healthcare and medical research.
Qatar Genome Project
The Qatar Genome Program (QGP) is an ambitious population-based project aiming to position Qatar among the pioneering countries in the implementation of precision medicine.
QGP uses a collection of samples and data from Qatar Biobank (QBB) participants to identify genotype-phenotype associations relevant to the Qatari population. QGP and QBB provide the basis for the development of personalized healthcare in Qatar.
The mission of Sidra Medicine Research Services is to create a professional and supportive environment for world-leading research providing dedicated, timely, and effective services to the scientific community.
Research services is organized in offices dedicated to the activities serving the needs of the scientists of Sidra Medicine Research Branch: Finance and Procurement, Human Resources and Training, Grants Office, Research Outcomes , Communications, and Policies.
Research Services is committed to supporting the highest standards of research and continued success at Sidra Medicine by:
- Providing scientists with fully equipped facilities and systems to conduct their research;
- Providing investigators with technical support, procurement and logistics activities, as well as project and budget management;
- Developing, implementing, and evaluating operational policies and procedures related to human subject protection, animal welfare, research safety, and research misconduct; and
- Providing guidance on policies and procedures related to the integrity of research conducted at Sidra.
- Grant Submission: All grant applications submitted to QNRF or other agencies must be submitted by the Grants Office on behalf of the investigator. The Grants Office will vet the application’s budget and make sure that Sidra can abide by all of the terms and conditions set forth by the funding agency.
- Animal Welfare Protection: If a research involves animals, it needs to obtain approval from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).
- Recombinant DNA Research: If a research involves the use of recombinant DNA (rDNA), RNAi, pathogens, biofluids, tissues etc., it needs to obtain approval for your research from the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC).
- Research Misconduct: Research Services facilitates the responsible conduct of research through online training and educational workshops that will promote regulatory and preventive measures in conducting research ethically.
- Laboratory Practices: Good Laboratory Practices and standards for laboratory safety include policies, procedures, training and other information to ensure compliance and best practice in the research laboratories at Sidra Medicine. There are many requirements that laboratories must be in compliance with when working with biological, chemical and radiological materials.
- Specific Human Subjects Protections certification is mandatory for everyone involved in research. To complete the required training please go to the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) website https://www.citiprogram.org/.
Sidra Medicine supports QGP in various aspects including sequence production, data analysis and storage, and research activities.
Scientific Advisory Committee
An external Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), composed of world leaders in different areas of research, evaluates the Sidra Medicine Research Branch (SMRB) group leaders. The SAC helps recruit new members for the Sidra Medicine Research Branch and direct our future medical research endeavors. Results from SAC evaluations help us shape the future of the Sidra Medicine Research Branch scientists and ensures the mobility and the renewal of the staff of Sidra Medicine Research Branch.
Our Insurance Partners
Our Insurance Partners
