By Chelsea Kroll, MSW, LMSW, OSW-C
AOSW Conference Committee Co-Chair

To quote a 1990s Oleta Adams song: “I don’t care how you get here, just get here if you can.”

Fasten your seatbelts and get ready to ride, drive or fly to Raleigh, North Carolina USA, as AOSW’s Annual Conference is BACK IN PERSON! Finally, in 2022, we are able to experience in-person learning, and the conference committee cannot wait to see you June 15-17. Pre-Conferences will be offered on June 14. We are enthusiastically creating our Schedule-At-A-Glance and will share as soon as possible. Watch for updates on the AOSW Conference webpage.

We’ve faced some setbacks in the planning, but thanks to the abstract review and conference committees, close to 90 abstracts were reviewed. The conference committee is working diligently to offer our members sessions that engage us and challenge us, both personally and professionally. Whether you are a “lone ranger” social worker, a new oncology social worker, or a seasoned social worker, we hope that you leave the conference inspired, reconnected and recharged as you continue this important work.

These past two years have not been easy, and for some, conference may be your first getaway from your home work station. With that in mind, we want to encourage you to carve some time out for self-care with breakout sessions geared toward supporting you! Perhaps you’ll consider adding a day or spending an evening exploring beautiful Raleigh. You can learn about things to do, restaurants and more on the Visit Raleigh website.

As we continue to move forward with our in-person conference planning, we are mindful that COVID-related issues remain. AOSW and our management company, Kellen, are working on creating a safe environment for our attendees, exhibitors, staff and volunteers. As a result, things may look a little different, but please know we are all exploring this new landscape together.

On behalf of the conference committee: Lisa Capparella (Co-Chair), Chelsea Kroll (Co-Chair), Chiara Acquati, Tabitha Brookins, Linda Hutkin-Slade, Kerry Irish and Leena Nehru, we look forward to seeing many of you in Raleigh!