As I was preparing for our annual conference I thought: “I know it is going to be a good conference, but it can’t possibly be any better than last year!” But, dear reader, it was. Set in the gorgeous setting of Seattle Washington, where we were lucky to have beautiful weather the entire time, the AOSW 2015 31st Annual Conference was an amazing experience from beginning to end.

For me this conference epitomized innovation and access. Some of the presentations were live-streamed, allowing people who could not get to the conference to participate. There were panels of similar subject matter discussed in-depth from multiple perspectives and there were pre-conference community events that were so well attended it more than tripled attendance from past events for previous community events. This conference touched so many people on some many levels, here are a few of the highlights:
    
The Keynotes

John Wynn, MD, DFAPA, started us out with a talk that focused on a psycho-oncology program he developed in collaboration with his oncology social work colleagues. This talk was an excellent way to begin the conference as it both exalted our skills and enumerated the many ways we can work with our psychiatry colleagues to provide comprehensive, patient-centered care to the people we serve.

Susan Gerbino, PhD, LCSW, the American Cancer Society’s Quality of Life Awardee, gave a deeply thoughtful talk about her experiences as a palliative care/hospice social worker in the early days of the AIDS crisis in New York City. She too urged us to reflect on the palliative care movement and the need to recognize and collaborate with our social work colleagues who work not only in oncology but in other specializations.

The final keynote of the conference was delivered by Shirley Otis-Green, MSW, ACSW, LCSW, OSW-C, and she was a dynamo from the moment she stepped on to the stage to the last second of her talk. Shirley is an unparalleled combination of quick wit and profound wisdom that had what should have been a beleaguered audience at the end of a long, packed conference, laughing, shouting responses and engaged with heartfelt enthusiasm.

We also were able to celebrate the publication of the Handbook of Oncology Social Work, which represents the clinical knowledge and evidenced-based practice that we have developed over the decades as oncology social workers. This textbook, which counts many members of AOSW as authors, contains not only the foundation to the work that we do but also the depth and breadth of our expertise as a profession. It represents a milestone in the evolution of oncology social work and it was assembled with dedication by the editors, Grace Christ, PhD, DSW, Carolyn Messner, DSW, BCD, ACSW, LCSW, and Lynn Behar, PhD, MSW.

In addition, there were transitions in AOSW liaison positions with Ginny Vaitones, MSW, stepping down as liaison to the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CoC) as she passed the torch to Susan Hedlund, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, as our new liaison to this organization. Thank you all for your generosity and leadership.

As I spoke with people throughout the conference there was a universal feeling of connection, excitement and collegiality. There was the usual strong sense of community for the duration of the conference. We couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to recharge our emotional and professional batteries. This conference would not have been possible without support from our sponsors as well as the meticulous, innovative and creative efforts of the conference planning committee.

Thanks to all!

All the best,
Penny
President@AOSW.org