Dr. Ahmed Aoude’s Groundbreaking Surgeries and AI Research Save Lives

From performing 38-hour surgeries to bringing augmented reality into the operating room, McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) orthopedic oncology surgeon Dr. Ahmed Aoude loves a challenge. Yet his deepest passion comes from helping patients.  

“The cool part of the job is the ability to think outside the box and do things that are not scripted standard,” says Dr. Aoude from his Montreal General Hospital (MGH) orthopedic clinic office. “What motivates me is the challenge of doing something technically demanding – which also affects the patient way more directly, that’s what makes me love what I do.”  

Certainly, getting close to courageous patients facing “unsurmountable” cancer diagnoses inspires him to do his best to help them. “We can’t forget the reason we got into this profession,” says Dr. Aoude, who came to medicine from engineering. (He holds a master’s degree in biomedical engineering and a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from McGill University.) “To me, it’s to care for people, the first time you meet them, like they’re your loved ones. When you see people go through hardship and surmount it, there’s nothing more motivational. It makes you recognize what’s important, and what’s not. You realize we take a lot for granted… But when I see a patient who people told me wouldn’t make it, ‘don’t touch them,’ and we treat them and they survive and are doing well, there’s nothing more rewarding.”  

The Future of Surgery  

Some of Dr. Aoude’s groundbreaking work is part of the MUHC’s transformative Future of Surgery initiative. This Montreal General Hospital Foundation (MGHF)-supported project is led by Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Liane Feldman, who chairs the Department of Surgery.  

The Future of Surgery aims to use technology such as robotics, AI, and AR to make surgery safer, less invasive, and more precise. It includes the Future of Cancer Surgery, a project supported by the Together Against Cancer fundraising campaign, which is a collaboration between the Cedars Cancer Foundation and the Montreal General Hospital Foundation. Dr. Aoude is a passionate campaign spokesperson. 

“We’re working on surgical robotics to do very complex surgical cuts for cancer treatment,” says Dr. Aoude, who is also a spine surgeon in training. “This year I used augmented reality in the operating room. The possibilities are endless.”  

Indeed, he adds, even Superman would get fatigued standing for so many hours. “So, every tool that can help you stay at top-notch performance is important. Better equipment or technology helps me do these pretty risky acts with more safety and precision, for better patient outcomes,” he says. “Those tools help us perform complex procedures more safely, so that’s what the future of surgery is to me; using technology to improve patient outcomes, safety, and surgical precision.” 

From research to equipment, your support makes a difference 

As a researcher, Dr. Aoude focuses on robotics and AI, and is involved in the next-generation Surgical Robotics Centre, headquartered at the MGHF-supported Clinical Innovation Platform (CLIP) of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC). (The centre will be moving to a larger space in the RI-MUHC’s newly-named Dr. Phil Gold Pavilion, which is an initiative supported by the MGHF.)  

“We’re working on augmented reality robotics and bringing that to life in surgery,” he explains. Additionally, Dr. Aoude conducts research on clinical outcomes, “working with medical students to better understand how we’re doing surgeries, including new surgical techniques I invented.” 

In 2022 and 2023, Dr. Aoude was among the recipients of the annual Research Awards supported by the MGHF (with collaborators including the RI-MUHC and Cedars Cancer Foundation). “Those awards helped me kick-start my research career, helped me hire a master’s student, helped me teach more outside the operating room. I am very grateful for those awards. Financial support for any research program is fundamental. Without it we can’t do anything.”  

Engineering and medicine: “A beautiful combination” 

Before becoming an orthopedic oncology surgeon, Dr. Aoude was an engineer who developed computer-assisted surgery for – you guessed it – orthopedic surgeons. “I used computers to help people place instruments in the human body with more precision,” he explains. “And I was involved in the development, design, and sales of platforms to help surgeons perform better surgery. I saw first-hand how engineering and medicine were a beautiful combination.”  

Back then, seeing those procedures in the operating room “sparked a passion” to learn. “Maybe it’s my engineering background but I love technology, pushing the limits, and using things that normally are not used,” says Dr. Aoude about his complex surgeries.  

When technology meets humanity 

During a recent 38-hour surgery, Dr. Aoude and his team of eight surgeons successfully removed a tumour “in an area thought to be impossible.” This innovative and meticulous procedure involved high-risk areas such as the brain and spinal cord. The patient is doing well, and the cancer has been removed.  

Ultimately, Dr. Aoude’s courage comes from his patients. “It’s human connection that makes us want to push ourselves as doctors.” When he saw this patient afterwards, they didn’t even have to speak. “He came up and hugged me and that was enough, the most beautiful thank you I could ever get. That’s what motivates me.”