14/07/2026
Ottawa, Ontario — Tuesday July 14, 2026
CHEO and the CHEO Research Institute are partnering with Anthropic through its AI for science initiative to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can help improve child health research, hospital operations and, ultimately, the experience of children, youth and families.
Through the partnership, Anthropic will provide approximately $1 million in Claude access credits to support research at the CHEO Research Institute (RI), as well as the development, testing and evaluation of AI-enabled approaches aimed at improving health outcomes and care experiences. As the only pediatric institution included in this round of investments announced by Anthropic, CHEO and its research institute will help advance the responsible application of AI in children’s health, supported by strong research evidence and validation.
The partnership reflects CHEO’s commitment to innovation in support of better care, better experiences and better outcomes for children and youth. It also reinforces CHEO’s longstanding approach to adopting new technologies thoughtfully and responsibly.
“At CHEO, we’re always looking for thoughtful ways to do better for kids and families—whether that’s at the bedside, in our operations or through research,” said Mari Teitelbaum, Vice President of Strategy and Chief Information Officer at CHEO. “This partnership gives us the opportunity to learn, explore and evaluate new possibilities that could meaningfully improve care and the experiences of children, youth and families. We’ll do that the same way we approach every innovation at CHEO—with careful oversight, strong safeguards and a commitment to putting patients and families first.”
Beyond research, potential areas of exploration may include improving administrative processes, and helping teams better analyze and synthesize information. Any future applications will be assessed through CHEO’s established governance and approval processes before being considered for implementation.
“The CHEO RI has been a trailblazer in AI research and moving solutions from the research world into the clinic to improve care for kids, and this investment from Anthropic will allow us to do even more,” said Ivan Terekhov, Director of Research Informatics, AI and Technology at the CHEO RI. “These Claude credits will fuel new, innovative research at CHEO by unlocking the value of unstructured data in a rigorous research setting, so we can evaluate how best to leverage AI to improve health and health outcomes for families at CHEO.”
CHEO’s Responsible AI Framework will guide all future work arising from the partnership, with extensive research and reviews taking place prior to approval or implementation of any AI project. That rigorous review involves privacy, cybersecurity, ethics, legal and operational experts, and, where appropriate, Research Ethics Boards and organizational governance committees.
“We know that innovations in health care are most successful when they’re developed alongside the people they are meant to serve,” added Teitelbaum. “That’s why youth and family voices have been part of this journey from the beginning. We will continue to engage CHEO and the RI’s family and youth advisory groups, and keep our labour unions engaged throughout the process, to help inform priorities, identify concerns and ensure that any future work reflects the needs, expectations and values of children, youth and families.”
CHEO recognizes that the use of AI in health care raises important questions about privacy, safety, fairness and accountability. These considerations will remain central to every stage of evaluation and decision-making.
“AI has significant potential to support research and help health-care organizations work more effectively, but technology must never replace clinical expertise, human judgment or compassionate care,” said Teitelbaum. “Our goal is to explore where AI can help our teams focus more of their time and energy on what matters most—caring for children and supporting families.”
“The close collaboration between CHEO and the CHEO RI will allow us to leverage Anthropic’s transformational investment in Canadian AI research, harnessing the power of AI to advance discoveries that ultimately improve care for kids at CHEO and beyond,” added Terekhov.
The partnership aligns with CHEO’s broader vision of building the pediatric health system of the future—one that combines innovation, research excellence and family partnership to deliver the best possible outcomes for children and youth.
“Kids and families are at the centre of everything CHEO does,” said Brian Peters, Head of North America Government Affairs at Anthropic. “It’s a great privilege to support them in this work – from helping them improve operations to fostering a better patient experience, and ultimately delivering better health outcomes.”
A French version of the news release is available: Le CHEO s’associe à Anthropic pour étudier l’utilisation responsable de l’IA en la santé des enfants – CHEO