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
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2025 Themes
February: Workplace & Culture
May: Therapeutic Techniques
August: Palliative Care
November: Caregivers
AOSW 40th Virtual Annual Conference Update
By Kerry Irish, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW 
Education Director
and
Kelly Hendershot, LGSW, LMSW
Incoming Education Director
Thank you to all who have submitted abstracts for the AOSW’s 40th Annual Conference: Harnessing the Past for Growth in the Future.
This year’s conference is a unique opportunity to view presentations on emerging programs, research and practice experiences. Our virtual conference will be featuring the following presentation types:
- Paper (60 minutes)
- Panel Symposium (60 or 90 minutes)
- Practice Intensive (2 parts; 90 minutes each)
- Learning Institute (90 minutes)
- Pre-Conference Workshop (4 hours)
As the 40th Annual Conference, a virtual format will allow members who have historically been unable to attend in-person conferences due to disabilities and accessibility challenges, financial constraints and/or a lack of support from their institutions to participate in this milestone event. With the help of a new Engagement/Connections Subcommittee, led by Nicole Marcouiller, LICSW, OSW-C, the virtual conference for 2024 we are planning will look very different from our 2020 virtual conference. This subcommittee will be working with the Education and Membership Committees to do our best to alleviate “Zoom fatigue” and foster community, such as providing networking opportunities, encouraging local meetups, and reimagining the poster sessions.
As we near the end of 2023, you will notice two names sharing updates from the Education Committee: Kerry Irish, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW, and Kelly Hendershot, LGSW, LMSW. As Kerry shared last month, she is stepping down from her role as Education Director at the end of 2023, due to parental illness. Kerry and Kelly have been in frequent contact since then, working together to ensure as seamless a transition as possible as Kelly steps into the role as of January 1, 2024. Kelly looks forward to carrying forward the foundation that Kerry and the Conference Committee, co-chaired by Teresa VanOort, MHA, MSSW, LCSW-S, have set in Harnessing the Past for Growth in the Future.
About the Authors
Kerry Irish, LCSW, OSW-C
The Dempsey Centers for Quality Cancer Carekirish.cccps@gmail.com
Kerry Irish, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW, has worked in oncology and hospice-care settings since 1995 in both direct clinical practice and senior leadership roles. She currently works as a remote Oncology Counselor with the Dempsey Centers for Quality Canc...
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Kerry Irish, LCSW, OSW-C
The Dempsey Centers for Quality Cancer Carekirish.cccps@gmail.com
Kerry Irish, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW, has worked in oncology and hospice-care settings since 1995 in both direct clinical practice and senior leadership roles. She currently works as a remote Oncology Counselor with the Dempsey Centers for Quality Cancer Care and maintains a private practice specializing in oncology and grief counseling. Kerry is also an ordained interfaith minister, graduating from One Spirit Interfaith Seminary in NYC in 2015. She has advanced certifications in oncology social work and interactive guided imagery and is currently working on an advanced certificate program in Contemplative Psychotherapy.
Kerry has been an active member of the Association of Oncology Social Work since 2002 and is serving her third term on AOSW’s Board of Directors. She is currently serving as Education Director (2023-26) and has previously served as Membership Director (2018-21) and Director-At-Large (2008-11). In 2016, Kerry was awarded the American Cancer Society’s national Quality of Life Award, given to “honor individuals who have innovatively contributed to the quality of life of those living with cancer through their publications, presentations, and direct service; reflecting a commitment to quality of life for all cancer survivors.” Kerry also received AOSW’s Volunteer of the Year Award in 2021 for creating a collegial comfort program designed to provide new professional resources and support for oncology social workers to help alleviate the additional professional and personal stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally in 2021, Kerry was designated as an AOSW Fellow (FAOSW), a credential designated to “recognize and honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the science and practice of psychosocial oncology.”
Articles
AOSW 40th Virtual Annual Conference Update“Dear Deborah”: Gratitude letters are a beneficial intervention for cancer patients… and a great practice for Oncology Social Workers
Director's Report: Membership
Ethical Wills: Helping Our Clients Create a Work of Legacy
Exploring Spiritual Challenges With Patients: AOSW’s Spirituality SIG as a Resource
Grateful to be together in New Orleans: AOSW’s 39th Annual Conference is Coming!
Membership Director Report
Membership Director's Report—Results From the 2018 Membership Survey
Passion & Purpose: Reflecting on How I Found Both During the Pandemic
That’s a Wrap: AOSW’s 38th Annual Conference in Raleigh
Kelly Hendershot, LGSW, LMSW
Vice President, Mission DeliveryCancer Support Community
Arlington, Virginia
khendershot@cancersupportcommunity.org
Kelly Hendershot works across the Cancer Support Community (CSC) to ensure that everyone’s interactions with our network partners go smoothly. This includes helping drive innovation and increasing the reach of the network. She joined the CSC headq...
Read Full Author Bio
Kelly Hendershot, LGSW, LMSW
Vice President, Mission DeliveryCancer Support Community
Arlington, Virginia
khendershot@cancersupportcommunity.org
Kelly Hendershot works across the Cancer Support Community (CSC) to ensure that everyone’s interactions with our network partners go smoothly. This includes helping drive innovation and increasing the reach of the network.
She joined the CSC headquarters team in August 2020. As the lead liaison for patient and family programming across CSC’s growing network, Kelly ensures that programming is effectively implemented and meets quality standards. In addition to her role at CSC, she is Education Director the Association of Oncology Social Workers (AOSW) and serves on AOSW’s membership committee. Kelly is also a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).
Articles
AOSW 40th Virtual Annual Conference UpdateAOSW Conference Updates: 2024 Recap and a Look Toward 2025 and Beyond
Growing in Mentorship
Support for Young Adult Survivors: Navigating the Journey Beyond Cancer
The Best of Both Worlds: The Hybrid Work Setting