Robin Cohen is the Research Director and Associate Professor in the Division of Palliative Care in the Departments of Oncology and Medicine at McGill University, and a Project Director at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal. Her research focuses on understanding, measuring, and developing ways to optimize the quality of life of life of people with life-threatening illnesses and that of their family caregivers. She loves her work because it allows her to study the physical, psychological, social, and existential/spiritual contributors to quality of life.

Dr. Neil Hagen is a neurological oncologist with a particular interest in difficult symptom management. He is currently Professor in the Departments of Oncology, Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Calgary, in Calgary, Canada, where he is the Head of the Division of Palliative Medicine. Dr. Hagen’s major research interests are related to the assessment and management of difficult cancer pain problems, particularly opioid pharmacokinetics, breakthrough pain and most recently, the analgesic effects of tetrodotoxin in cancer pain.

Laurie Anne has been with palliative care in Newfoundland and Labrador since the 1970’s. She completed initial palliative care training at the Royal Victoria Hospital Palliative Care program in Montreal in 1978 and came back to help the Sisters of Mercy at St Clare’s open and lead the first Palliative Care Unit and team east of Montreal in St John’s, Newfoundland in 1979.  Laurie Anne has continued on in her palliative care career through working in various roles and is well known as a leader and educator provincially, nationally and internationally.

Dr. Stajduhar has worked in oncology, palliative care, and gerontology for over 20 years as a clinician, clinical nurse specialist, educator, and researcher. She is  an Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Centre on Aging, University of Victoria. Clinical work and research has focused on health service needs for those at the end-of-life and their families with a focus on home care and inpatient settings, and on the needs of marginalized and vulnerable populations. Dr. Stajduhar is a CIHR New Investigator and a Research Scholar, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.

Wendy Wainwright, M Ed, is the Manager of Psychosocial Services, Victoria Hospice Society and has worked in hospice palliative care (hpc) for over 25 years.  Wendy co-authored Transitions in Dying & Bereavement:  A Psychosocial guide for Hospice and Palliative Care, and co-edited Medical Care of the Dying, along with articles on Social Work competencies & roles in hpc.  She has a long history in professional education, including the development of a course on Psychosocial Care of the Dying and Bereaved.  Wendy is currently the president of the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association.

Keith Wilson is a clinical psychologist at The Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre. Dr. Wilson also maintains an active research program, with particular interests in the psychosocial and functional aspects of chronic illness and disability, and issues in end-of-life care. Academically, Dr. Wilson is an associate professor in the Department of Medicine and School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa, and an Associate Scientist with the Clinical Epidemiology Program of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.