The AOSW 2016 Annual Conference will be here before we know it! And who doesn’t like the thought of spending time with AOSW friends and colleagues in a great spot like Tampa, Florida—especially those of us who live in the colder climates? In addition to cherished collegial connections, there are so many other things to look forward to about this upcoming conference that we are excited to share!

Did you receive a gift over the holidays that isn’t quite your style? If so, think about re-gifting it to the AOSW Silent Auction! Donations to the Silent Auction directly support the AOSW Awards and Scholarships program. Items such as crafts, jewelry, gift cards, products, tickets are always welcome at this auction. Click here for information about how to make a donation.

Need Ethics credits? The 2016 AOSW 32nd Annual Conference will have them! We expect approval of five Ethics CEUs for the conference. In addition to other ethics offerings, the presentation of our keynote speaker, Margaret E. Morhmann, MD, PhD, offers one CEU in Ethics.

Further, AOSW has been approved as a provider of Association of Social Work Boards, New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work and National Association of Social Workers credits as required by individual states.

Two exciting program additions to this year’s conference are lunchtime panel discussions specific to advocacy and self-care. Expect a dynamic panel discussion from leaders of various national organizations with advocacy arms on how oncology social workers can and should get involved in advocacy at the local, state and national levels in order to make the needs of our profession and patients heard. Additionally, the Self-Care panel is gearing up to discuss areas such as the use of supervision as a self-care technique and knowing when to say “no” as well as the value of saying “YES!” to things that bring joy and renewal to your career without feeling overwhelmed.

Staying current with technology and our commitment to a healthy environment, we will be offering increased access to conference offerings on your time—online! Be on the lookout for a webinar in late March/early April to learn how to navigate the conference app. For those who cherish having a paper abstract book, AOSW and Taylor & Francis have teamed up to include AOSW abstracts in an expanded volume of the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology following the conference.

If you’re planning to arrive in Tampa early, we hope you will join us for a special Community Outreach Event (Tuesday, May 3, 6-8 p.m.). Moffitt Cancer Center will offer social workers an opportunity to register for the AOSW Annual Conference and then mingle with other attendees as they learn about Seek and Speak Your Story, a program offered to all cancer patients and caregivers to craft their personal true stories to share as a gift to others. Trained facilitators will assist participants in a life review as they compose a seven-minute power story that they will perform for other patients, caregivers, their family and friends. There will be time for conversation and questions between each performance.There are also some wonderful pre-conference workshops lined up for Tuesday as well. Visit the AOSW website to learn about them.  

We can’t wait to see you at the 2016 AOSW 32nd Annual Conference to share these highlights and more!