Somehow, it is that time of year again, when many of us are making our travel plans and looking forward to connecting with old friends at AOSW’s Annual Conference. Perhaps this is your first time attending conference, and you are trying to imagine what these few days may look like – feeling that combined anticipatory anxiety and hopefulness about this new experience. For many AOSW members, this is a highlight of our year. A chance to connect with like-minded colleagues and to feel motivated by the work being done around the country. This is a chance to embrace friends we have met through AOSW and with whom we have so little time; those who understand us and the work we are called to do in a way many outside the field can’t. The Conference Planning Committee (CPC) is looking forward to welcoming each of you to Portland, whether you are early in your career or you have been part of AOSW from the beginning. We have been working for months, reading so many amazing abstracts and developing an experience that we hope will leave you all feeling professionally engaged, inspired, and connected. 

 The theme for conference this year is Threads of Support: Nurturing Resilience and Breaking Barriers. For many of us in the field, we have seen the challenges facing patients and have had to face our own stressors and burnout as resources have become more limited and psychosocial needs continue to grow. Social workers are the primary mental health supports in cancer clinics throughout the country and carry a heavy load in supporting patients and caregivers through the non-medical aspects of cancer care. Oncology social workers are found in the trenches, from diagnosis through survivorship and end-of-life. Our resilience keeps us showing up every day to do the work, while our ability to break down barriers makes us successful in those endeavors.  

Our keynote speakers have taken our theme and developed presentations that embrace that message. On Wednesday, Michelle Ferretti, LICSW, OSW-C, will welcome us to Portland and open the conference with her talk, Rooted, Not Hardened: How Struggle Shapes Us. As she describes it, her talk “reframes adversity not as a barrier to resilience, but as the “dirt from which resilience can intentionally grow.” And we will close out with Dr. Joy Malbrough, PhD, sharing her talk, The CALMM Intersection: Weaving Resilient Systems and Breaking Barriers in Oncology Social Work. Dr. Marlbrough will speak about the intersection of patient safety nets, strained systems, and provider burnout, while describing a “specialized engagement and equity framework-reimagined through the lens of oncology social work.” These conference anchors are sure to ground us in our intentions for the week and guide us in bringing what we learn into practice.  

Additionally, we can look forward to our four pre-conference sessions. These will provide an opportunity to dig a little deeper into these topics and grow our learning. These sessions include Advanced Clinical Case Conceptualization, Oncology Social Work Foundations, a session on integrating photovoice as a means of enhancing survivors’ quality of life, and a session on supporting patients affected by cancer-related cognitive impairment. Our engagement subcommittee is coming up with more ideas to increase connection and fun during conference, so please watch for updates on that in Portland. Additionally, our state reps look forward to connecting with social workers during conference and hope to see many of you there. You can find your state reps here (If you don’t have a state rep listed and you would like to help in your state, please reach out to Amy DePaolo). Additionally, please join us for our two poster sessions this year.  

In my third and final year on the planning committee, I will add that it has been a privilege to work on conference. I encourage you to register and join us in Portland this year. And as I have learned from many before, I encourage you to consider ways to get involved in AOSW. In addition to all the learning you can do at conference, use this as an opportunity to connect with new colleagues, explore SIGs, and learn about committees that interest you. There are many opportunities available, and these will help weave connections and build our long-term resilience in the field.