OTTAWA, October 8, 2025 — The Ottawa Heart Institute has joined Symbiotic AI and the University of Calgary’s Data Intelligence for Health Lab in a research partnership to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can improve the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease. The collaboration aims to develop and validate AI tools that support clinicians in making more informed decisions, leading to better outcomes for patients.
At the Heart Institute, Christopher Sun, PhD, and Aun-Yeong Chong, MD will bring their expertise in cardiovascular care, data science, and interventional cardiology to ensure the AI tools are safe, clinically effective, and tailored to real-world healthcare settings.
“We look forward to collaborating with our partners to explore new ways to further integrate artificial intelligence into cardiovascular practice,” said Dr. Christopher Sun, an AI data scientist at the Ottawa Heart Institute and Canada Research Chair in Data Analytics for Health Systems Transformation. “Our shared goal is to advance innovations that will improve decision-making for clinicians and outcomes for patients.”
“At the Ottawa Heart Institute, we see firsthand the challenges patients and care teams face in managing complex coronary artery disease,” added Dr. Aun-Yeong Chong, an interventional cardiologist at the Ottawa Heart Institute. “By combining clinical expertise with artificial intelligence, we aim to accelerate the path toward more personalized, data-driven care.”
As part of its commitment to being a leader in transformative cardiac research, the Ottawa Heart Institute is investing in AI-driven solutions that enhance care delivery while maintaining the compassion and human connection that define its patient-first culture.
The first projects under the partnership will focus on validating AI models that help with treatment selection and risk prediction for patients with heart disease. Findings from this work are expected to inform how AI can be more broadly used in cardiovascular care in Canada and internationally.
For more details, read the full release: Symbiotic AI Announces Strategic Research Partnership with University of Calgary and University of Ottawa Heart Institute to Advance AI in Coronary Artery Disease Care
To schedule an interview with Dr. Sun or Dr. Chong, please contact the media liaison below.
Media contacts
Leigh B. Morris
Communications Officer
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
613-316-6409 (cell)
lmorris@ottawaheart.ca