“When you’re surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible.” ~Howard Shultz

Greetings from the Membership Committee and  your AOSW Membership Director! I am excited to share with you some of the Membership Committee’s accomplishments over the past year as well as our goals for the remainder of 2019.

Over the past 12 months, AOSW has experienced much success. Among other initiatives, the Membership Committee:

• Created a tool on the AOSW website where members can now easily locate other members who offer specific services such as free or fee-for-service counseling/psychotherapy.
   
• Disseminated the 2018 AOSW Member Needs Survey to learn how we can better serve our members. With a strong response rate (more than 520 completed surveys!), the Membership Committee and AOSW Leadership were able to garner much valuable information on member needs that is being used to guide future initiatives.
   
• The Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee (Susan Hedlund, chair; Jennifer Dunn, co-chair; and Eucharia Borden) created and delivered a fabulous Clinical Practice Intensive in Tucson with a focus on unconscious bias. The CPI was so well-attended that it had to be moved to a larger conference room and resulted in strong interest from attendees to become more involved in this high priority initiative.
   
• The Mentorship Subcommittee (Sandy Blackburn and Kristy Case, co-chairs) created a system for matching mentees and mentors and developed materials to support effective connections. The program will formally launch by fall 2019!
   
• The MSW Student and Field Instruction Subcommittee (Emerson Douglas, chair, Sandy Blackburn, Ashley Adams and Lisa Barnes) and Field Instruction Subcommittee (Catherine Credeur and Kathy Walsh, co-chairs) conducted a focus group at conference to learn from new field instructors and current/recent MSW student interns how AOSW might better support them. The committee has been hard at work creating a “Field Instruction Toolkit” with a wealth of resources for AOSW members. It has also begun working with the Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee to explore how to increase diversity in the field of oncology social work, beginning with student members.
   
• Continued important discussions with the Board of Oncology Social Work Certification regarding our shared organizational goal of enhancing and ensuring the highest level of professionalism and skill development in the profession.

Upcoming in 2019:

• Develop a Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit to encourage professionals in psychosocial oncology to create a welcoming environment for their patients.
   
• Launch a membership drive with the opportunity for current AOSW members to win a free conference registration to the 2020 annual conference in Raleigh, North Carolina, when they recruit a first-time member or bring a long-lapsed one back into the fold!
   
• Survey oncology social workers who are not currently AOSW members to learn what factors may impede their decision or ability to join.
   
• Work with the Education, Research, and Finance Committees to explore opportunities to further enhance membership benefits.

This is just a snapshot of the work that has been going on in your association. Your AOSW membership will continue to keep you connected to the knowledge, resources and networks you need to meet the challenges you encounter every day in the world of psychosocial oncology. We hope you will remain passionate and engaged in your work and in our shared mission to advance excellence in the psychosocial care of persons with cancer, their families and caregivers through networking, education, advocacy, research and resource development.

Please know that your ideas, participation and support are always welcome and are vital to our success as an organization. Thank you for your ongoing support of AOSW!