Ottawa Heart Institute launches AI centre

OTTAWA – The University of Ottawa’s Heart Institute, one of the country’s most distinguished heart health facilities, is celebrating a new addition that will use cardiovascular data and artificial intelligence to save lives. The state-of-the-art centre is the vision and legacy of outgoing president Dr. Thierry Mesana and will use tools such as machine learning to tailor care and treatment on an individual basis.

“It’s really a new beginning for the institute to be able to use and leverage this space. The possibilities are endless,” said incoming president Dr. Rob Beanlands (pictured) at an unveiling for the institute’s brand-new Data Science Centre.

The centre is both a virtual and physical space. It occupies 3,150 square feet of offices, hotelling space and conference rooms. Clinicians, scientists, researchers, and administration personnel will be able to coordinate their joint access and use of the facility.

“Instead of giving the risk of complications for the general population undergoing heart surgery, what artificial intelligence and data science will do is predict your exact outcome,” Dr. Mesana told CTV News.

From the beginning, the heart institute was at the forefront of transplants and surgical breakthroughs. Now, it’s delivering precise medical care in preparation for the future as a shortage of doctors and nurses in the province continues.

“Artificial intelligence will actually compensate and help the patient without having the patient to suffer from this lack of human resources and actually probably improve healthcare,” said Mesana.

The goal is to improve healthcare, while bringing different expertise to the table where data is the common language.

“We’ll use that data together to develop transformative and innovative ways of delivering care and predicting outcomes that will offer benefits to our patient community,” said director Jodi Edwards.

Patients in Ottawa and the surrounding region are getting a glimpse into the future as technology paves the way.

“Combining the use of artificial intelligence and digital technologies will allow us to provide a broader reach. That means anyone in Pembroke, Cornwall or Hawkesbury is getting the same level of care that they are in Ottawa,” said Beanlands.