To say that I am excited to be President-Elect of AOSW is an understatement!

This is the group, sorry, YOU are the group that got me to where I am professionally. You supported me, educated me, guided me, encouraged me and challenged me to be the best oncology social worker I could be. Impressive? Without a doubt! We are an eclectic group from all walks of life, with a core belief in providing psychosocial services to everyone touched by cancer. This is the glue that binds us to each other and to AOSW as a whole.

We are entering an era of great achievement in cancer care, a time when we can no longer complain that we do not have a seat at the table. We are not only seated, but in many cases that seat is at the head of the table. It is time to look forward, time to move ahead, time to embrace these changes.

As I follow discussions on SWON and email and talk with fellow members, I am in awe of the commitment to meeting standards that initially seem to be geared to increasing our workloads while administration stays mostly silent on needed staffing increases. We are sharing information, collectively searching for pathways of implementation that both meet standards of care and serve the psychosocial needs of cancer patients and their loved ones. The researchers among us are working diligently to provide us with the statistics needed to back standards of care for all to use to justify staffing increases. Our administrative colleagues continue to make sure our executive leaders understand and truly comprehend the changes required of us and what is needed for us to do our jobs to the best of our abilities.

And on the front line, boots-on-the-ground oncology social workers, often understaffed, sometimes working alone, continue to be beacons of light, pillars of support and a source of strength, knowledge, and nurturing needed by so many.

I look forward to working alongside AOSW President, Penny Damaskos, AOSW Past President, Iris Fineberg, and the entire AOSW Board in serving our membership as best as I can. But mostly, I look forward to working with all of you—listening, learning and doing all I can as we stand alongside our nursing and physician colleagues providing excellence in oncology care and providing leadership in the field of oncology social work.