For the closing of Pink October, nearly 250 guests from the health and technology sectors attended an exclusive event dedicated to artificial intelligence in medicine—particularly in oncology—applied to breast cancer. The conference, followed by a cocktail reception, was held on October 29, 2025, at the Montréal Science Centre.
This exceptional evening, where science, humanity and innovation converged to imagine the future of medicine and oncology, was the occasion to unveil seven AI pilot projects developed in Québec. Among them:
- an AI call center dedicated to clinical trials (“Ben AI”),
• an AI call center for managing chemotherapy side effects,
• and an AI project in radiation oncology.
A breast cancer survivor also shared a moving testimony about how AI transformed her treatment experience.
The event was masterfully hosted by Dr. Jamil Asselah, medical oncologist at the MUHC – Cedars Cancer Centre and Chair of the Scientific Committee of the McPeak-Sirois Group.
Among the speakers and experts in attendance were:
- Dr. Jean Latreille, National Director, Programme Québécois de cancérologie (Quebec cancer control program), Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services
- Dr. Lucy Gilbert, Chair, Department of Oncology, McGill University
- Mr. Jeff Shamie, President & CEO, Cedars Cancer Foundation
- Dr. Massimo Di Iorio, Medical Oncologist, CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, member of the Scientific Committee of the McPeak-Sirois Group
- Dr. Sohrab Zand, Medical Oncology Resident
- Dr. Tarek Hijal & Dr. James Tsui, Radiation Oncologists
- Dr. Kim Ma, Medical Oncologist, Jewish General Hospital
- Dr. Khashayar Esfahani, Medical Oncologist, CIUSSS du Centre-Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, member of the Scientific Committee of the McPeak-Sirois Group
- Dr. Ahmed Aoude, Orthopedic Surgeon, MUHC
- Dr. Waqqas Afif, Gastroenterologist, MUHC
- Dr Katarzyna Jerzak, Medical Oncologist, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, member of the Scientific Committee of the McPeak-Sirois Group
- Dr Arif Awan, Medical Oncologist, The Ottawa Hospital, member of the Scientific Committee of the McPeak-Sirois Group
