Trained in Algiers and Paris as a medical oncologist, Dr. Asselah completed a 2-year fellowship on phase 1 clinical trials at the Investigation Unit of the Curie Institute Cancer Center in Paris, France.
In 2008, he joined the Université de Sherbrooke as an Assistant Professor, developing new research protocols in breast cancer and standardizing treatment practices at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, where he also launched theoncology residency program.
Dr. Asselah joined McGill in 2011 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Oncology, and is now Associate Professor. He is on staff as a medical oncologist at the McGill University Health Centre, where he spearheaded a working group standardizing treatment guidelines for breast cancer. He was the first Site Lead for the Rossy Cancer Network. Dr. Asselah has been the principal investigator in numerous clinical research protocols and has been part of several research groups at the provincial and national levels. His research interests include breast cancers, gastrointestinal cancers, and cancers of the head and neck. Dr. Asselah is also a leader of the “Opal” team and has been involved in the development and implementation of “Opal,” an innovative patient portal that provides patients with immediate access to their personal health information.
More recently with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Québec, Dr. Asselah has assumed a leadership role through his work with the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS), helping to coordinate efforts to mitigate risks to cancer patients despite the constraints imposed by the current situation.