I’m writing this from the 2016 AOSW 32nd Annual Conference in Tampa, Florida. To the nearly 500 of you who joined us for three days of learning, networking, friendship and professional development, thank you! This conference wouldn’t be what it is without your participation. I hope you took away new nuggets of knowledge that will inspire you to improve your practice. Perhaps you will try to implement a new program or service at your workplace as a result of a session you attended.

It’s hard for me to pinpoint one highlight of the conference. From Dr. Margaret Mohrman’s Opening Keynote, to the fantastic breakout sessions, to Kerry Irish’s Quality of Life in Cancer Care lecture, to Iris Fineberg’s insightful Closing Keynote Address, to the amazing poster sessions—it was all fantastic! Most importantly, I hope you all feel more connected to your oncology social work peers and feel comfortable reaching out to other AOSW members for guidance and support. Thank you again to our fantastic 2016 Annual Conference Committee and the 2016 Conference Chair, Fran Becker.

We are already beginning to plan the 2017 AOSW 33rd Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado. Save the Date: May 31 – June 2, 2017. The conference theme is “Oncology Social Work: Elevating Compassion, Experience and Vision.” Just as Tampa gave us a spectacular storm on the opening day of our meeting and our conference served as a safe harbor, the Mile-High City will inspire us to share our ideas, practices and progress in elevating oncology social work and psychosocial care of cancer patients.

The conference content is only as great as the abstracts and proposals we receive. This is where we rely on you, the members, to submit proposals for learning institutes, papers and posters (both programmatic and research based). The call for abstracts will be announced in early July and will remain open until early September. Start cultivating your ideas now! Do you need help or want to work through an abstract proposal with an experienced abstract writer and presenter? Then sign up for our abstract mentorship program to get one-on-one guidance and support through the abstract-submission process. If you are interested in being an abstract mentor or receiving abstract mentorship, please contact aoswabstractmentor@gmail.com.

Finally, I’m so proud to share the growth of our Online Learning webinar program. In 2016, we will offer six webinars on a range of subjects—from working with families, to advance care planning, to oncology social work with couples. These are fantastic opportunities for you to continue to add tools to your oncology social work tool box, all from the comfort of your own office or cubicle! Be sure to check the AOSW website and your email for announcements about our upcoming webinars. We are also accepting proposals for webinar presentations. We are actively seeking submissions for:

• Continuing Education Webinars – Presentation of relevant, timely and sensitive training on today’s most important oncology social work topics. Recent topics included social media for healthcare professionals, strategies for oncology social workers, physician-assisted death, facing cancer as a family and sexuality.
• Professional Development Webinars – Offered free of charge to AOSW members and focused on essential professional content, such as grant writing, abstract writing, planning local and regional conferences, and leadership essentials.

If you are interested in leading an AOSW webinar in 2017, or know someone you'd like to recommend, please complete and submit a proposal, which can be found here.

As I end my term as Education Director at the end of 2016, I want to thank you for the support, contributions and amazing ideas I have received as I have worked to elevate the educational opportunities offered by our organization. If you are interested in leadership in oncology social work education, consider running for AOSW Education Director. This is an amazing opportunity to lead and give to our organization, as well as to work with amazing oncology social work leaders.

Thank you again and see you in Denver!