Compassionate Ottawa

Conversations with Leaders – Working Together in Palliative Care
2025-11-13 10:00 - 11:30 (America/Toronto) | Zoom – Open to public
This live, virtual event will feature a conversation with Dr. Hsien Seow and Dr. Samantha Winemaker, co-hosts of The Waiting Room Revolution podcast and authors of the book Hope for the Best, Plan for the Rest. In discussion with Dr. Mary Lou Kelley, Compassionate Ottawa volunteer, we will hear Dr. Seow and Dr. Winemaker’s real-life stories, their 7 keys for navigating a serious illness, how patients and their caregivers can be hopeful and prepared at every step of their journey, and how much it matters that we all work together.
Dr. Hsien Seow Dr. Hsien Seow 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 Dr. Samantha Winemaker is a palliative care physician who cares for patients with serious illness and their families in the home. She is an Associate Clinical Professor at McMaster University in the Department of Family Medicine, Division of Palliative Care. She has won numerous awards for her leadership and contributions to palliative care education for health care professionals.
Dr. Mary Lou Kelley Dr. Mary Lou Kelley is a Social Worker, and was engaged in practice, teaching, and research in gerontology and palliative care at Lakehead University for 35 years. She was the recipient of the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association’s Award of Excellence (2011), the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), and the Ontario Hospice Palliative Care Visionary Award (2015) in recognition of her career contribution to Canadian palliative care. She has been volunteering with Compassionate Ottawa since 2018.
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Conversations With Leaders: Rites of Passage: Changing Ways of Marking Death and Dying in Our Communities
2026-02-19 10:00 - 11:30
Conversations about death and dying are shaped by faith, culture, and community – and they are changing. In this live Conversations with Leaders event, we bring together voices from diverse religious traditions and the funeral profession to reflect on how end-of-life rites, practices, and attitudes have evolved in recent years. Speakers will explore the impacts of COVID-19, shifting family and community structures, and emerging conversations. Together, they will reflect on how communities mark the end of life, care for one another in times of loss, and seek meaning, dignity, and connection in the face of death.
The Rev. Canon Gary van der MeerInterfaith Officer, Anglican Diocese of OttawaRabbi Daniel MikelbergTemple Israel OttawaImam Sikander HashmiCanadian Council of ImamsNicholas BrownFuneral Home Manager, Capital Funeral Home & CemeteryCharles BarrettDirector, Compassionate OttawaREGISTER HERE
