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Hsien and Sammy have spent their careers helping those who are facing serious illness. For years, they often heard patients and families say they felt unprepared and overwhelmed. Despite years of education, research, and advocacy, they continued to hear patients and families say “Why didn’t anyone tell me that sooner…”​
​They started the Waiting Room Revolution movement because they wanted to improve the patient and family illness experience. They want to build a community to share deeply human stories about caring for others. Through interviews with experts, clinicians, patients and caregivers, they are harnessing the advice of those with lived experience to better prepare those who are just starting their caring journey.
They cannot do it alone. Individuals, families and communities have to be empowered as the catalyst for change. They believe we have so much to learn from one another.
Together, we can move from being “in the dark” to being “in the know.”
Dr. Hsien Seow, PhD
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He is the Canada Research Chair in Palliative Care and Health System Innovation and a professor in the Department of Oncology at McMaster University. He publishes health care research focused on improving the patient and family experience for those facing serious illness. He is the co-author of The Tao of Innovation: Nine Questions Every Innovator Must Answer.
Dr. Samantha Winemaker, MD
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She is a palliative care physician who care for patients with serious illness and their families in the home. She is a clinical professor at McMaster University in the Department of Family Medicine, Division of Palliative Care. She has won numerous awards for her leadership and palliative care education for health care professionals