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
Meet Your Leaders: AOSW Board Secretary/Treasurer Michael Grignon, LMSW, CCM, MBA
Can you tell us about your role as Secretary/Treasurer on the AOSW Board?
I had a professor who told us, “If you [as an organization] are not financially solvent, you cannot do all of those great things you want to do.” As Secretary-Treasurer, my role is to help make sure AOSW has the financial strength and ability to keep doing those great things we do for our members and our profession.
Please describe the work you do in your current position.
Currently, I am a social work case manager with Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Albany, New York. I think of myself as a “tour guide” for our members/patients—I help them navigate the healthcare and related systems (Medicare, SSDI, etc.) while connecting them with information on other supports/organizations that may serve as additional resources on their journey. The unique part of my work is that I work for a health insurance company and that it is all done telephonically, so I speak with members from across the country.
How long have you been in the field of oncology social work and what other positions have you had as an OSW?
I cannot believe it, but I have been an MSW for 15 years and completed my MBA 10 years ago. I started on an inpatient hospice unit, worked in a long-term care facility then, before joining Anthem, was the Patient Services Manager with our local Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Chapter.
What are the biggest challenges you see ahead for AOSW?
One of the biggest challenges I foresee for AOSW is how to grow and innovate in ways that are meaningful and valuable to our members and the profession. I believe this is a perpetual challenge for most organizations because change is constant and organizations continually need to reassess, redefine and experiment with their products/services and markets. If you are standing still, you are falling behind.
For you, what is the most meaningful aspect of being an AOSW member?
The most meaningful aspects of AOSW membership for me are being a part of a professional community and the opportunity for growth, both professional and personal. I have had the honor to serve on the Board of Directors, on the Advocacy and Education Committees and complete a poster presentation for the 2018 conference. All these activities have allowed me to connect with dedicated oncology social workers from across the U.S. while continuing to grow as a social worker myself. Knowing that I can be a part of this community and contribute to our profession and the AOSW mission is incredibly rewarding and gratifying.
What keeps you engaged as an OSW?
I often tell patients that their first contacts with the healthcare system are like getting dropped, out of nowhere, into a foreign country—a different language, different culture, different customs—while you are in a state of shock due to the medical diagnosis. Our reward is helping to guide people through this foreign terrain and watching people as they grow and gain confidence in themselves, knowing that we were a significant part of nurturing that growth. That personal sense of reward is what keeps me engaged and keeps me going
Anything personal you want to share?
Personally, I am from Albany, New York. I am married and have an 11-year-old daughter. I have been a Mets fan since I was six years old, love music (and play a few instruments), enjoy French and American history (still trying to master the French language) and enjoy traveling, especially to warmer places during the cold Albany winters.
A couple of thoughts I try to keep in mind: “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans [John Lennon],” and, “Just because it does not turn out how you had planned, doesn’t mean it is not beautiful.”
Thank you, AOSW members, for all you all do for this association, the oncology social work profession and, most importantly, our fellow human beings. You DO matter and your work DOES make a difference. I look forward to continuing to make a difference with you.
About the Author

Sara Goldberger, MSSW, LCSW-R

Sara Goldberger, MSSW, LCSW-R
Articles
Around AOSW—A Look Back and a Look AheadFrom the President-Elect: What Can We Learn From Our Patients?
Meet Your Leaders: AOSW Board Secretary/Treasurer Michael Grignon, LMSW, CCM, MBA
Meet Your Leaders: AOSW Past President Vicki Kennedy, LCSW, FAOSW, FAPOS
Meet Your Leaders: For She’s a Jolly Good Fellow! An Interview With Lisa Marquette Porat, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW