Montreal, July 26, 2021 – The McPeak–Sirois Group (the “Group”) is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Jamil Asselah, medical oncologist at the McGill University Health Centre, as President of the Group’s Executive Scientific Committee.
“We are honored to be able to count on Dr. Asselah’s support and expertise to carry out the work of our Executive Scientific Committee, which ensures the selection of research protocols carried out as part of our consortium,” said Dr. Dominique Johnson, the Group’s Managing Director. “Dr. Asselah already participates in several research groups at the provincial and national level and his leadership will be an asset to the development of our scientific program.”
“It is a privilege and an honor for me to chair the Group’s Executive Scientific Committee, whose founding chairman was the late Dr. André Robidoux, who played a major role in promoting clinical research in breast cancer,” said Dr. Asselah. “I am very pleased to succeed Dr. Louise Provencher. I will put all my energy, along with my fellow Quebec researchers, in giving hope of additional treatment to people with breast cancer.”
Dr. Asselah takes over from Dr. Louise Provencher, surgical oncologist at the CHU de Québec-Université Laval, whose term has expired.
Dr. Jamil Asselah is a medical oncologist and Associate Professor at McGill University. He has been practicing at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) since 2011. Dr. Asselah completed his medical training in oncology at the University of Algiers, then worked at the Institut Curie in Paris in clinical research in breast cancer, and then at the University of Sherbrooke.
Dr. Asselah has led the Breast Cancer Clinical Group within the Rossy Cancer Network. He led the development of practice guidelines to standardize breast cancer treatments for the McGill network (Jewish General Hospital, McGill University Health Centre and St. Mary’s Hospital).
Dr. Asselah is one of the leaders of the “Opal” team and has been involved in the development and implementation of the innovative patient portal with the same name, which gives patients immediate access to their personal medical information. He was honored, along with his team, in March 2020 by the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation and received the “National Bank – Innovation and Community Support Award” for his innovative contribution to the significant improvement of patient care.
More recently, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Asselah played a leadership role with the Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux (MSSS), by being available and by participating in many taskforces, including the COVID Committee of the programme québécois de cancérologie (PQC). The PQC COVID Committee has implemented recommendations to secure Quebec’s oncology departments and centers, as well as to optimize the type and duration of treatments. Dr. Asselah played a key role in the design and drafting of the recommendations that were recently issued. The quality of his commitment and leadership throughout this pandemic has brought invaluable benefits to the many people affected by cancer.
Link to the official Press Release