Greetings to new and longstanding AOSW members! This is my first Kudos column as Membership Director. I am already sure that writing this article will be my favorite responsibility. The way I see it, our members are our biggest resource and we can learn about leadership, program planning, research and many other essential oncology social work skills when we share our successes.

I am pleased to showcase the following AOSW members and their accomplishments:

• Past President (among her many titles) Virginia Vaitones, MSW, OSW-C, (Maine) finished 11 years as the oncology social work representative to the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. Every oncology social worker, AOSW member or not, should give Ginny a standing ovation for her work with the CoC and setting such a great example of oncology social work leadership.
   
• Samantha Null, MSS, LCSW, (Pennsylvania) was one of the 2015 ACS Lane W. Adams Quality of Life Award winners.
   
• Former AOSW President, Krista Nelson, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, (Oregon) is among the 2015 ACCC Innovator Award winners for her efforts with a family program offering a supportive group model to deliver early and ongoing intervention and support throughout the cancer care journey. She will also present this program at the ACCC National Oncology Conference this fall.
   
• Speaking of award winners, Katherine Easton, LCSW, OSW-C, (Georgia) received her medical center’s achievement award for her volunteerism, community involvement and her conference presentations.
   
• Congratulations to Yvette Colon, PhD, MSW, (Michigan) for her promotion to MSW Program Director at Eastern Michigan University.
   
• Brad Zebrach, PhD, MSW, MPH, (Michigan), of the University of Michigan School of Social Work, was promoted to full professor.
   
• Kathy Smolinski , MSW, JD, (Michigan) and Barbara Jones, PhD, MSW, (Texas) were elected chair and vice-chair of the National Academies of Practice Social Work Section.
   
• Kerry Irish, LCSW, OSW-C, (Maine) graduated from One Spirit Interfaith Seminary and is poised to be ordained as an Interfaith/Interspiritual minister and to “better respond to clients’ spiritual needs.”
   
• Karlynn BrintzenhofeSzoc, PhD, MSW, (Maryland) and Christine Callahan, PhD, LCSW, (Maryland) published Financial Quality of Life for Patients With Cancer, an Exploratory Study on Taylor & Francis Online.
   
• Brenda Hartman, MSW, (Minnesota), participated in an interdisciplinary panel titled “Planning for a Good Life to the Very End” and published her second book, The Golden Thread, a children’s grief book based on a true story.
   
• Ana Fisher, MSW, LICSW, OSW-C, (Washington) was promoted to Social Work Cancer Care Navigator at the VA Puget Sound, Seattle Campus.
   
• Holly Adams, LCSW, OSW-C, (Nevada) is involved in community cancer center programming for colorectal cancer and sarcomas. Holly says the community work she and her oncology social work peers provide give their patients the opportunity to select supportive services that meet their needs without having to chose only from programming offered at the center where they receive treatment. Holly reports she is also having fun participating in the knitting circles offered by her center.
   
• Karyn Berlin, MSW, LISW, (Iowa) shared her story of navigating a veteran new to the VA system through registration, the initial primary care evaluation and medical oncology consult in 24 hours. During that time, Karyn also facilitated him filing for Service Connected Compensation. That, my friends, is the essence of oncology social work.

I hope this report inspires those of you who are too shy to announce your kudos to send me your story for my next column. I look forward to highlighting your achievements.