For this column, I want to share some of the very exciting recent AOSW activities related to research. These include the establishment of a new Research SIG, the launch of the new PCORI-funded (Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute) Patient-Centered Research Collaborative of Psychosocial Oncology (PCRC) and some terrific research-oriented events taking place at the Denver conference. I hope you will be interested in getting involved in some of these opportunities.

Research SIG (Special Interest Group)
A new SIG for those interested in research has been established! You may remember that in the past we had a group called SWORG (Social Work Oncology Research Group) for AOSW members interested in oncology social work research. Now, the new research SIG will provide a place for all members to connect with others with research interests. Elizabeth Rohan of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) will serve as SIG leader. To become a member, just log on to the AOSW website, click on your Member Profile and join the Research SIG. It is free! We need your ideas on how we can best use the SIG to further research in oncology social work.

The Research SIG will have its first face-to-face meeting at the 2017 Annual Conference in Denver. Daniela Wittman, PhD, MSW, from the University of Michigan Cancer Center, will speak on “Developing Research in a Clinical Oncology Setting: Challenges and Opportunities” on Thursday evening. Please come to meet others interested in research, learn about how one department enhanced its research focus and help get the new Research SIG off the ground. An added benefit is that you will get one CEU if you attend.

Patient-Centered Research Collaborative on Psychosocial Oncology (PCRC)
As you probably know, last spring, members of the Research Committee, under the leadership of Brad Zebrack, submitted a grant to PCORI to develop a practice-based research network (PCRN) in oncology social work. Oncology and other areas of medicine have long benefitted from “practice-based research networks” (PBRN) but this is a new idea in social work. In a PBRN, a group of facilities that have a common interest (e.g., a diagnosis or a type of practice) join forces to conduct research. This model increases the quality of the research being done by increasing the size of the database, allowing “quasi-experimental” models to be used and by bringing in experienced researchers. At the same time, it facilitates research that is “practice-based” and helps smaller organizations that lack the resources to conduct research independently to participate.

The PCRC Advisory Committee met and quickly developed an application for AOSW members who want to participate in the PCRC. The response has been amazing, with some 60 (!) applications received. While only 15 “teams” (composed of an oncology social worker and a patient advocate) will be selected in this first round, the strong interest by the AOSW membership will undoubtedly lead to increased efforts to expand the PCRC in the future. The first meeting of the PCRC will be just before the AOSW Annual Conference in Denver. There, and over the course of the two-year grant period, PCRC will work to develop ideas for research in oncology social work that are feasible, relevant and important. The goal of the PCRC will be to develop one or more research proposals that will be submitted for funding when the PCORI grant ends in 2018. Whether you are one of the 15 PCRC participants or not, you are encouraged to contribute to this critical process by attending the Pre-Conference Research Institute (see below). In addition to this institute, the PCRC Advisory Board, in collaboration with the AOSW Research Committee, will be developing a variety of opportunities for involvement for non-PCRC participants. (Stay tuned!)

Pre-Conference Research Institute
For the second year in a row, AOSW is holding a Research Institute (RI) in conjunction with its 2017 Annual Conference in Denver. This year, the RI will be held the day before the conference, that is, Tuesday, May 30. It will feature keynote speaker Dr. Paul Jacobsen, PhD, of the National Cancer Institute (formerly at Moffitt Cancer Center). Dr. Jacobsen is a leading researcher in the field of psychosocial oncology. His research has contributed to the recognition of the importance of treating the “whole patient” in cancer care, as well as the incorporation of distress screening. Dr. Jacobsen’s talk, “Translating Psychosocial Oncology Research Into Practice: Progress and Challenges,” will be followed by an engaging panel of social work leaders including Susan Hedlund, LCSW, OSW-C; Carly Parry, PhD, MSW; and Shirley Otis-Green, LCSW, OSW-C. This formal session will be followed by interactive exercises with the goal of setting priorities for oncology social work research. Participants will identify compelling and clinically meaningful issues for patient-centered outcomes research.

All AOSW members interested or involved in social work research, whether or not you will be part of the PCRC, are encouraged to attend and participate in the Research Institute. (Register as part of your conference registration.) Ideas and perspectives of all members of the OSW research community, including practitioners, students and researchers, are needed to shape the research agenda for oncology social work. More information can be found on the AOSW website.
    
Other Research Events at the Annual Conference
There are many exciting research-focused events scheduled for this year’s conference. In addition to the many research-based papers and posters, I’d like to call your attention to a Learning Institute that the Research Committee is presenting—“Using Research to Inform Practice: A Skill-Building Workshop”—at 8:30 on Friday morning. This institute will show participants how they can use existing research to benefit their practice. Staffing levels and distress screening data will be used to illustrate. Also, the institute will discuss focus group methodology. Focus groups is a research method that is highly compatible with social work skills and values and is often a method that can inform the development of innovative innovations and be incorporated into a busy practice.

I hope you can attend some or all of these research events!