The Last Straw! was originally developed for a health promotion class in 2004 at the University of Toronto.  It has won several awards from organizations such as the University of Toronto and Community-Campus Partnerships for Health.

The game has been played with many people from a wide range of audiences, including:

• medical students, graduate students and undergraduates and high school students across a variety of disciplines

• policy analysts at Toronto Public Health and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care;

• frontline staff at health-related NGOs and social service agencies, including HIV youth activists, health promoters, providers of services for the homeless and community workers;

• participants health-related conferences

Dr. Kate Rossiter, M.A., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in Health Studies at the Brantford campus of Wilfrid Laurier University. 

Dr. Kate Reeve, M.H.Sc., M.D., C.C.F.P., is a family doctor in Toronto.