Top picks for the AOSW 2025 Annual Conference
With the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) 2025 Annual Conference (June 11–13, Atlanta, GA, USA) just around the corner, we’ve spoken with AOSW President Linda Mathew (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, NY, USA) to bring you a selection of must-see sessions. View the full conference program here.
Key sessions to attend
Tuesday 10th June
1pm • Advancing clinical and leadership skills with ESPEC-oncology: educating oncology social workers in palliative and end-of-life care
Join this pre-conference workshop, to learn how to apply the eight domains of palliative care from the National Consensus Project Guidelines to enhance your oncology social work, teamwork and professional development practices. The presenters will explore key knowledge and high-impact skills from the ESPEC training program to strengthen your clinical work with patients, caregivers and colleagues. Additionally, the workshop will cover strategies to use ESPEC training to boost leadership, advocacy and promote health equity in oncology social work.
Wednesday 11th June
8am • Conference opening and Awards Ceremony
There are 18 million cancer survivors in the U.S., a number expected to surpass 22 million by 2030. Yet survival disparities remain, driven by unequal access to timely care – shaped by geography, social isolation, trauma and limited resources. At the AOSW Annual Conference, the Quality of Life in Cancer Care Award, sponsored by the American Cancer Society, will be presented to Dr Lailea Noel (The University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA). In her award presentation, DR Noel will highlight the critical role of community–provider partnerships in advancing equitable cancer care. Don’t miss this important session celebrating Dr Noel’s work and its impact on cancer survivorship.
9am • Opening Keynote: From spark to ember: together we ignite hope and nourish healing
In the above video, Bryan Miller, Director of Psychosocial Support Services at Atlanta Cancer Care (affiliated with Northside Hospital Cancer Institute, GA, USA) shares insights from his upcoming keynote presentation on cancer health inequities and disparities.
In this keynote address, Miller plans to discuss social drivers of health, including structural and systemic factors and initiatives to address identified disparities. Aligning with the conference theme “Unite to Ignite: Cultivating Connections” Miller will incorporate wisdom and quotes from colleagues to enhance his presentation. Speaking on the wider impact of AOSW, Miller shares that he values AOSW for bringing together diverse professionals across practice settings and creating networking, collaboration and knowledge sharing opportunities.
10:45am • Reconstructing serious illness education: changing the discourse
This session, led by Terry Altilio (Private Consultant) and Vickie Leff (Yeshiva University, NY, USA), will engage participants in exploring our landscape of practice identifying opportunities to use constructs such as testimonial injustice, structural competence, delegitimization and response shift to disrupt with intention, interrogate assumptions, challenge inequities and enhance care.
2pm • Blue genes: the psychosocial impact of hereditary cancer
This presentation explores the psychosocial impact of hereditary cancer, covering key differences from sporadic cancer and guiding patients through genetic testing. It addresses emotional challenges such as anxiety, guilt and family conflict, especially in diverse populations. Through case studies, participants will gain tools to manage complex family dynamics and ethical concerns like privacy and informed consent. The session also introduces evidence-based strategies such as mindfulness and narrative therapy.
5:15pm • Paper presentations
Two noteworthy papers to watch for during Wednesday’s papers session, selected by the current AOSW President, include a scoping review that examines the impact factors and psychosocial outcomes of interpersonal communication experiences among adolescent and young adult cancer survivors, and an ethics-focused paper exploring best practices for supporting patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer who also have mild cognitive impairment or dementia.
Thursday 12th June
9:30am • Paper presentations
On the second day of the conference, don’t miss the presentation by researchers from the University of Louisville (KY, USA), who will share findings from a scoping review on sexual health and fertility outcomes in cancer survivorship. Their work highlights key gaps and underexplored variables related to improving health-related quality of life for survivors.
12:15pm • DEI Committee Panel: Inclusive cancer care: meeting people where they are within an evolving policy landscape
The DEI Committee panel session will explore the broader social and political forces driving recent legislation that impact diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice efforts. Panelists will examine how these restrictive policies are impacting service delivery in both healthcare and nonprofit settings. Special attention will be given to how these changes affect oncology patients, their families and the communities that support them.
In addition to analyzing the risks these policies pose to inclusive care, the panel will offer practical guidance for navigating this evolving landscape. Attendees will learn at least two actionable strategies to sustain and advance DEI efforts within their institutions.
2pm • Grief and identity: The immigrant experience through the lens of cancer
This presentation explores the intersection of cultural identity and grief, focusing on the immigrant experience in the context of cancer-related loss. It covers primary and secondary loss, psychosocial challenges faced by immigrants and their children, and the physical manifestations of grief. Participants will engage in discussion, psychoeducation and a guided meditation to support emotional processing. The session concludes with practical tools and takeaways for clinicians, grounded in personal stories and cultural insights, to help navigate grief and promote well-being in diverse populations.
5:15pm • Paper presentations
For the second session of paper presentations, Linda Mathews (AOSW President) has selected two standout papers; ‘The role of oncology social workers in highlighting the need to improve language concordance in cancer care’ and ‘Sexual health is health: How providers can support breast cancer survivors experiencing sexual side effects from treatment’.
Friday 13th June
8:30am • Expanding the role of the oncology social worker in pain management
On the final day of the conference, make sure to attend the Learning Institutes session, which will be led by Paige Mullins (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center) and will focus on evidence-informed approaches to address pain management within oncology settings.
12pm • Closing keynote: Care for the cancer caregiver: lessons learned from a caregiving scientist and family caregiver
Allison Applebaum (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, USA) in her closing keynote address will present on the needs of family caregivers of cancer patients, drawing on data from the most recent National Alliance for Caregiving report. Applebaum plans to share models of care that can serve as exemplars for attendees to implement within their institutions, along with new ideas for supporting family caregivers.
Reflecting on the conference theme “Unite to Ignite: Cultivating Connections”, Applebaum notes a powerful parallel to her upbringing in a family of musicians, which reminds her of the collaboration required in psychosocial oncology. Whereby each professional plays their own “instrument” beautifully, but the most incredible “music” emerges when they perform together as an orchestra. She concludes that while each person brings unique strengths and gifts to patient care, it’s only through collaboration, connection and unity that we can achieve our highest goals.
View the full 2025 AOSW Annual Conference program here: https://na.eventscloud.com/website/84864/
The Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the enhancement of psychosocial services to people with cancer, their families and caregivers. Find out more about the AOSW here: https://aosw.org/about-aosw/