Women, science, and the power of asking better questions.
Women in STEM don’t just wrestle with data, deadlines, and discovery — they navigate systems that have long underestimated their presence, their leadership, and their relevance. From unequal access to funding to cultural assumptions about who “belongs” in a lab, the barriers are persistent, even as the talent is undeniable.
The L’Oréal–UNESCO For Women in Science Middle East Program exists to shift that reality. Now in its 12th edition, the initiative has supported 63 Arab women scientists and awarded AED 3.8 million to research rooted in both regional realities and global scientific challenges.
Among the six winners of the 2025 edition are two scientists asking deceptively simple — and radically important — questions. Why does disease impact women differently? Why do two bodies respond so differently to the same environment, the same food, the same life?
From microbiomes and precision medicine to genetics, inflammation, and metabolic disease, Dr. Ayat Hammad and Dr. Fatemah Jawad Bahman are not only advancing science — they’re reshaping how women’s bodies are studied, understood, and protected.
KHAMSA spoke with both researchers about the moments that shaped their work, the gaps still holding women back, and what needs to change next.
Dr. Ayat Hammad – Jordanian biomedical scientist
Kuwaiti scientist at the Dasman Diabetes Institute
١. When Science Becomes Personal
Dr. Ayat Hammad
Jordanian biomedical scientist based in Qatar
Was there a specific moment or patient story that made you feel, “This is where I’m meant to focus my life’s work”?
Yes, absolutely—and there was a very clear moment when it became personal for me. During my undergraduate years, I spent part of my clinical rotation in a cancer hospital, where I saw several young women, very close to my age, facing breast cancer. I watched how the disease disrupted their daily lives, their families, and how much uncertainty they carried about their future. It was very emotional to witness, and I remember telling myself: if I stay in science, I want my work to bring women like them some hope.
Many years later, when I started working specifically on the microbiome and breast cancer, I was explaining my research to a breast cancer survivor. She listened carefully and then said to me,
“I wish this kind of research existed when I was diagnosed. Maybe my life would have been different.”
That sentence has stayed with me. It reminded me that every experiment, every dataset, is not just an academic result—each finding has the potential to change someone’s life. Connecting women’s health to microbiome signatures is not only a technical challenge; it is a responsibility.
Dr. Fatemah Jawad Bahman
Kuwaiti scientist at the Dasman Diabetes Institute
What first made you curious about why two people can eat the same meal and have totally different health outcomes?
What truly sparked my curiosity was seeing people within my family eating the same food, living the same lifestyle, yet developing completely different health outcomes. Some would struggle with obesity or diabetes, while others remained healthy. That personal observation led me to realize that food alone is not the whole story.
Today, science confirms that genetics, epigenetics, and environmental exposures all shape how each individual responds to the same meal. That realization pushed me toward studying the deeper biological mechanisms behind metabolic disease — and how we can intervene earlier and more effectively.
٢. What We’re Still Getting Wrong About Women’s Health
Dr. Ayat Hammad
What is a misconception people have about scientific research in our region — especially its real impact on everyday patients?
One misconception is that research is something distant from everyday life — something that happens in laboratories but doesn’t really touch individual patients.
Many people trust what worked for a cousin or a neighbour more than they trust evidence-based research tailored to their own biology.
But when we close the loop and bring results back to patients, everything changes. In our projects, we don’t just collect samples and disappear. We return with personalised recommendations based on their genetic profile and their microbiome, and sometimes with prevention or treatment strategies they can discuss with their doctors.
When people see that “bench” work comes back to their bedside in a meaningful way, they move from being passive subjects to active partners in research. That’s when science stops being abstract — and starts informing real decisions about health.
Dr. Fatemah Jawad Bahman
What is completely overlooked in women’s metabolic health today?
One of the most overlooked aspects is how deeply hormones shape inflammation, fat distribution, insulin sensitivity, and disease risk across a woman’s life — from puberty to pregnancy to menopause.
Women are still underrepresented in clinical trials, and hormonal transitions are often treated as side issues rather than central drivers of metabolic disease. Menopause alone dramatically increases the risk of insulin resistance, visceral fat accumulation, and cardiovascular disease, yet prevention strategies rarely address this early enough.
If we want better outcomes, we need to stop treating women’s biology as a variation — and start treating it as foundational.
٣. From Prevention to Power
Dr. Ayat Hammad
What’s one thing you wish Arab women knew earlier about their bodies, their risks, or their power to advocate for themselves?
Knowing your risk early is not something to fear — it’s a form of power. Understanding your family history, genetic predisposition, and even your microbiome gives you the chance to act before disease becomes advanced.
I also wish women knew that their value is not defined by any illness or any organ. Diseases like breast cancer or cardiovascular disease may change the body, but they do not change a woman’s worth, intelligence, or ability to lead.
And finally, Arab women should know that they have the right to ask questions and advocate for themselves in healthcare.
Research is done for them, not to them. When women participate in studies, they’re not just patients — they’re partners shaping better science for future generations.
Dr. Fatemah Jawad Bahman
If you could change one public-health practice across the Middle East tomorrow, what would it be?
I would shift healthcare from late-stage disease treatment to early metabolic prevention. That means routine screening for insulin resistance, fatty liver, and inflammatory markers before diabetes and cardiovascular disease develop.
Prevention is not only more humane — it’s far more cost-effective. Countries that invest early save billions in long-term healthcare costs and dramatically improve quality of life. The science is already there. What we need now is the will to act on it.
Together, Dr. Hammad and Dr. Bahman represent a generation of Arab women scientists who are not waiting for permission — they’re building data, reshaping systems, and insisting that women’s bodies, lives, and futures belong at the center of scientific inquiry.
