- Collaboration includes a multi-phased clinical research programme.
- First clinical study will explore how continuous health data and coaching from WHOOP can produce credible, clinically meaningful cardiometabolic improvements in Abu Dhabi adults with obesity and high blood pressure.
- Findings will build real-world evidence on how WHOOP can help prevent and address heart and metabolic conditions.
The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in the emirate, and WHOOP, the human performance brand, today announced a strategic research collaboration to explore the role of continuous health insights and coaching in preventive health. The research supports Abu Dhabi’s shift from reacting to illness towards personalised prevention at scale.
In the presence of H.H. Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs, H.E. Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, and Will Ahmed, Founder and CEO of WHOOP, the MoU was signed at the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit by H.E. Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, and Jonathan Jeffrey, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer and Chief of Staff to the CEO of WHOOP.
The collaboration will consist of a phased research programme on heart and metabolic health, exploring how wearable technology can help people better understand their bodies and take a more informed, proactive approach to their health.
WHOOP continuously senses an individual’s key health indicators such as sleep, recovery, strain, stress, and cardiovascular health, providing context beyond a single measurement. The first, foundational study of the 24-month programme aims to assess how this continuous data, alongside coaching from WHOOP, can affect key health markers like weight, waist circumference, heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and sleep over a six-month period for adults with obesity and high blood pressure. The study’s design and oversight will be supported by physicians in Abu Dhabi.
Subsequent studies will explore how WHOOP can help reduce risk factors for heart and metabolic disease by supporting the behavioural changes required alongside treatment. The programme will generate novel, real-world evidence on the role wearable technology can play in preventive and cardiometabolic health.
In line with Abu Dhabi’s prevention-led health agenda, the collaboration brings the continuous health data of WHOOP into the emirate’s intelligent health system to accelerate population health research and safely scale new models of care.
H.E. Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi said: “Our bodies can signal changes long before we feel unwell. The earlier we recognise those signals, the more we can do to protect our health. Abu Dhabi has built an intelligent health system that uses AI to turn complex health data into meaningful, personalised insights. Our partnership with WHOOP will explore how data from wearables can be translated into practical, personalised guidance, helping people better understand their health and make lasting changes.”
“This is a landmark partnership for WHOOP and Abu Dhabi,” said Will Ahmed, Founder and CEO of WHOOP. “We first began working in the UAE in 2016. Since then, hundreds of thousands of citizens and residents have come to trust WHOOP to support their health and performance goals. At WHOOP, we believe deeply in what continuous data insights and coaching can offer when applied to real health challenges. Abu Dhabi puts data at the heart of how it cares for people, and I’m incredibly proud to work alongside them to explore what’s possible, and even more excited about what we can accomplish together.”
Research will follow data governance guidelines over data minimisation, transparent data processing and secure storage, in line with applicable regulations and international best practices.
A Proven Partner in Personal Health
WHOOP brings extensive experience conducting large-scale research using continuous physiological data, including a 12-week analysis of nearly 12,000 members in which consistent users averaged 2.3 more hours of sleep and 90 more minutes of exercise per week. WHOOP has published a large body of peer-reviewed research, including a study showing WHOOP members on GLP-1s lost 10% of their body weight in just 12 weeks, with more physical activity to offset changes in resting heart rate and heart rate variability. Additional manuscripts from the Research team that explore patterns associated with clinically meaningful weight loss and long-term blood pressure trajectories are under review as well. WHOOP continues to invest in researching how its platform can measure and impact health behaviours and physiological measures over time.
WHOOP pairs this research expertise with nearly a decade of experience operating in the UAE, beginning with the Expo 2020 Dubai Worker Wellness Program in 2017. Since then, WHOOP has deepened its regional presence through strategic partnerships and investments, including the recent launch of WHOOP in Arabic and the company’s ongoing partnership with the Dubai Fitness Challenge. This combination positions WHOOP as a strong partner to proactive, personalised health research with DoH.
Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit (ADFHS) is the annual flagship gathering of Future Health – A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi, a year-round platform for global collaboration curated and convened by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) together with the Founding Partners, PureHealth, M42, Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi (IHLAD) and Mubadala BIO. Under the theme ‘To Sense Is to Predict’, ADFHS 2026 brings global experts and partners together to explore how earlier insight can support informed decisions, timely intervention and care better suited to people’s needs.
Four impact areas will guide the Summit’s discussions and initiatives: Longevity & Precision Health; Digital Health & AI; Health System Resilience & Sustainability; and Investment in Life Sciences. Together, they support Abu Dhabi’s ambition to turn earlier insight into earlier action and better care, helping people live longer, healthier lives.
