AOSW Connections
Editorial Team
Editor-in-Chief
Amy Colver, MSSA, MA, LISW
Editor
Katherine Easton, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C
AOSW Communications Director
Brittany Hahn, LCSW
Managing Editor
Patricia Sullivan
Contribute Today!
To submit a story or information for inclusion in a future issue of AOSW Newsletter, contact Amy Colver or Katherine Easton on the list above.
2025 Themes
February: Workplace & Culture
May: Therapeutic Techniques
August: Palliative Care
November: Caregivers
April 2019
Volume 5 | Issue 2
President's Message
Around AOSW—My Goals for This Year
Diversity and inclusion, engagement and career development support. These are the areas I am focused on during my presidency.
Meet Your Leaders: AOSW Past President Vicki Kennedy, LCSW, FAOSW, FAPOS
Like many of you I have been and continue to be inspired by so many of the leaders I have encountered since I first joined AOSW in 1992. In this issue I am delighted to interview one of those very inspirational people. An admirer of AOSW icons becomes an icon herself.
AOSW Conference
AOSW 35th Annual Conference: Come Find Your Oasis in the Desert
Experience the magic of endless blue skies, towering mountains and cacti like you’ve rarely seen, when you join us at this year’s AOSW conference in sunny Tucson, Arizona. Only 60 miles north of the Mexico border, Tucson is a mecca for those who enjoy the outdoors. It is also well known for its towering saguaro cacti, great Mexican food and cowboy heritage.
Research Events at the 2019 AOSW Conference
This is going to be another exciting year for research activities at the Tucson conference! I hope you will be able to attend. Whether you are an experienced researcher looking to share your research interests with other researchers and practitioners with similar interests or an oncology social work practitioner looking to get more involved in research, there will be many research-focused events to choose from.
AOSW 35th Annual Conference: Tucson, Here We Come!
Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Let’s honor her words and come together in Tucson for the AOSW 35th Annual Conference at the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa June 5-7. We can teach each other, learn from each other and improve the lives of those impacted by cancer.
Committee Updates
Research Events at the 2019 AOSW Conference
This is going to be another exciting year for research activities at the Tucson conference! I hope you will be able to attend. Whether you are an experienced researcher looking to share your research interests with other researchers and practitioners with similar interests or an oncology social work practitioner looking to get more involved in research, there will be many research-focused events to choose from.
Meet Your Leaders: AOSW Past President Vicki Kennedy, LCSW, FAOSW, FAPOS
Like many of you I have been and continue to be inspired by so many of the leaders I have encountered since I first joined AOSW in 1992. In this issue I am delighted to interview one of those very inspirational people. An admirer of AOSW icons becomes an icon herself.
Clinical Content
Pain, Palliative Care and End-of-Life SIG: The Impact of Narrative Therapy in Shaping End-of-Life Experiences
Everyday there are new interventions to treat the myriad cancers that impact people around us. Targeted chemotherapy and radiation, robotic surgery and newly developed oral medications are just a few of these interventions. Innovation is a constant in the clinical world of treating patients with cancer and it does not end with just treating the disease. Many at or nearing the end of their life or their loved one’s life can experience a wide variety of emotions ranging from fear and anger to hope and peace. New ways to help these individuals reshape their negative experiences include narrative therapy techniques.
International Oncology Social Work: Advancing Health Care Outcomes in Spain Through Fundraising Strategies
Regina Diez is a social educator and national fundraiser at Foundation Josep Carreras, headquarters for the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry in Barcelona, Spain (REDMO, http://www.carrerasresearch.org/en). The foundation also supports a research institute to cure/stop leukemia and assist patients with some of their lodging needs at the transplant stage. We usually think of health care as clinical work, but sometimes, thanks to other actions developed by nonclinical staff, we can advance a clinical mission.
The Immergence of an Oncology Outpatient Therapist
Cancer’s effects range from the cells to the psyche. Distress in patients with cancer can lead to low-quality care, poor quality of life, disease recurrence and mortality (JNCC, 2013). Evidence-based services to treat distress in these patients are core to high-quality care. Ganz (2013) strongly recommends providing these services to these patients and their loved ones.
SIG Updates
Pain, Palliative Care and End-of-Life SIG: The Impact of Narrative Therapy in Shaping End-of-Life Experiences
Everyday there are new interventions to treat the myriad cancers that impact people around us. Targeted chemotherapy and radiation, robotic surgery and newly developed oral medications are just a few of these interventions. Innovation is a constant in the clinical world of treating patients with cancer and it does not end with just treating the disease. Many at or nearing the end of their life or their loved one’s life can experience a wide variety of emotions ranging from fear and anger to hope and peace. New ways to help these individuals reshape their negative experiences include narrative therapy techniques.
Research
Research Events at the 2019 AOSW Conference
This is going to be another exciting year for research activities at the Tucson conference! I hope you will be able to attend. Whether you are an experienced researcher looking to share your research interests with other researchers and practitioners with similar interests or an oncology social work practitioner looking to get more involved in research, there will be many research-focused events to choose from.
Advocacy & Health Policy
International Oncology Social Work: Advancing Health Care Outcomes in Spain Through Fundraising Strategies
Regina Diez is a social educator and national fundraiser at Foundation Josep Carreras, headquarters for the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry in Barcelona, Spain (REDMO, http://www.carrerasresearch.org/en). The foundation also supports a research institute to cure/stop leukemia and assist patients with some of their lodging needs at the transplant stage. We usually think of health care as clinical work, but sometimes, thanks to other actions developed by nonclinical staff, we can advance a clinical mission.
Member Spotlight
Member Spotlight: Chesley Flotten, MA, LCSW
How long have you been an oncology social worker?
Four years—two in an oncology setting and two years prior to that in hospice.
Meet Your Leaders: AOSW Past President Vicki Kennedy, LCSW, FAOSW, FAPOS
Like many of you I have been and continue to be inspired by so many of the leaders I have encountered since I first joined AOSW in 1992. In this issue I am delighted to interview one of those very inspirational people. An admirer of AOSW icons becomes an icon herself.