Program | Montagna Symposium on the Biology of Skin

2026 Program (subject to change)

Thursday, October 15

Noon – 2 p.m.

Exhibitor/Sponsor check-in and set-up

1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.	*Shuttle Bus Departs to Skamania Resort (requested during registration)*
2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.	Arrival and check in LOCATION: CONFERENCE CENTER LOBBY *NOTE: Dinner on your own* (Skamania Lodge has two on-site restaurants, the Cascade Diner and the River Rock Lounge, as well as the Skamania To Go takeaway service)
6 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.	Welcome Reception Wine, cheese & soft drinks LOCATION: CONFERENCE CENTER LOBBY
6:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.	Welcome and Introductory Comments Symposium Co-Directors: Tamia Harris-Tryon, M.D., Ph.D. (Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Basic Research, Dermatology, UT Southwestern Medical Center) Sancy Leachman, M.D., Ph.D. (Adjunct Professor of Dermatology, OHSU) Alex Ortega Loayza, M.D., M.C.R. (Professor and Chair, OHSU) LOCATION: STEVENSON BALLROOM
6:45 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.	Frank Carbone, Ph.D. (Emeritus Professor, Doherty Institute) A historical perspective on the role of TRM cells in skin
7:15 p.m. – 8 p.m.	Fireside Chat Sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Moderators: Liv Eidsmo, M.D., Ph.D. (Professor of Dermatology and Venereology, Karolinska Institutet and University Hospital) Patrick Brunner, M.D., MSc (Professor of Dermatology and Vice-Chair of Research, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai) Speakers: Thomas Kupper, M.D. (Founding Chair, Department of Dermatology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School) Donna Farber, Ph.D. (Professor & Division Chief of Surgical Sciences and Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University) William J. “Cris” Crisler, Ph.D. (Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School) Thomas Gebhardt, M.D., Ph.D. (Professor & Head of Gebhardt Lab, The University of Melbourne)
8 p.m. – 10 p.m.	Optional Firepit & S’mores

Friday, October 16

7 a.m. – 8 a.m.	Breakfast LOCATION: CASCADE LOCKS BALLROOM
8 a.m. – 8:10 a.m.	Meeting Announcements LOCATION (ALL TALKS): STEVENSON BALLROOM
8:10 a.m. – 8:25 a.m.	*Meeting Introduction* Liv Eidsmo, M.D., Ph.D. (Professor of Dermatology and Venereology, Karolinska Institutet and University Hospital)
8:25 a.m. – 8:35 a.m.	*Session 1:* *Core Biology of TRM* Session Introduction & Moderator Patrick Brunner, M.D., MSc (Professor of Dermatology and Vice-Chair of Research, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai)
8:35 a.m. – 9 a.m.	Donna Farber, Ph.D. (Professor & Division Chief of Surgical Sciences and Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University) Human TRM across sites, age, and disease
9 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.	Discussion
9:15 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.	Rei Watanabe, M.D., Ph.D. (Professor, Department of Dermatology, Juntendo University) TRM in aging skin
9:40 a.m. – 9:55 a.m.	Discussion
9:55 a.m. – 10:10 a.m.	Short Talk Jacob Fischman (NSF Graduate Research Fellow, PhD Candidate, Immunology Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania) Functional genomics reveals PIK3CD-dependent control of human T cell tissue residence in skin
10:10 a.m. – 10:35 a.m.	Liv Eidsmo, M.D., Ph.D. (Professor of Dermatology and Venereology, Karolinska Institutet and University Hospital) Making Memory Local: Establishment and Persistence of Resident T Cells in Human Skin
10:35 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.	Discussion
10:50 a.m. – 11:05 a.m.	Coffee Break
11:05 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	Dan Kaplan, M.D., Ph.D. (Professor, Department of Dermatology, University of Pittsburgh) Neuronal control of cutaneous immunity
11:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.	Discussion
11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m.	Lunch & Panel Discussion: Epigenetic changes in psoriasis following IL-23 blockade Sponsored by Sun Pharma Speakers: Liv Eidsmo, M.D., Ph.D. (Professor of Dermatology and Venereology, Karolinska Institutet and University Hospital) Ahmad Naim, M.D. (Senior Vice President & Chief Medical Officer, Sun Pharmaceuticals) Abrar Qureshi, M.D., M.P.H. (Chief, Department of Dermatology, Brown University)
1 p.m. – 1:25 p.m.	Tiago Matos, M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D. (Global Project Head, Sanofi) Human TRM
1:25 p.m. – 1:40 p.m.	Discussion
1:40 p.m. – 2:05 p.m.	Marcus Buggert, Ph.D. (Associate Professor, Karolinska Institute) Human virus-specific T cell immunity at single-lymph-node resolution
2:05 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.	Discussion
2:20 p.m. – 6 p.m.	Break & Optional Recreational Activities (meet at hotel front desk) Columbia Gorge Museum ($12/person) Beacon Rock Hike (1.8 miles, ~600 ft elevation gain; some heights)
6 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.	Mentorship Mixer Cocktail Hour LOCATION: CONFERENCE CENTER LOBBY
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.	Mentorship Mixer Dinner LOCATION: CASCADE LOCKS BALLROOM

Saturday, October 17

7 a.m. – 7:45 a.m.	Breakfast LOCATION: CASCADE LOCKS BALLROOM
7:45 a.m. – 7:50 a.m.	Meeting Announcements LOCATION (ALL TALKS): STEVENSON BALLROOM
7:50 a.m. – 8 a.m.	*Session 2:* *TRM in Infection and Host-Microbe Interactions* Session Introduction & Moderator Thomas Kupper, M.D. (Professor and Founding Chair, Department of Dermatology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School)
8:00 – 8:25 a.m.	Jean McGee, M.D., Ph.D., M.S. (Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs, Columbia University Irving Medical Center) The gut–skin connection
8:25 a.m. – 8:40 a.m.	Discussion
8:40 a.m. – 9:05 a.m.	Phillip Scott, Ph.D. (Vice Dean for Research & Academic Resources and Professor of Immunology, University of Pennsylvania) The role of TRM in Leishmania responses
9:05 a.m. – 9:20 a.m.	Discussion
9:20 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.	Jia Zhu, Ph.D. (Professor, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and Professor in Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine) TRM in human responses to HSV
9:45 a.m. – 10 a.m.	Discussion
10 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.	Coffee Break
10:15 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.	Thomas Kupper, M.D. (Professor and Founding Chair, Department of Dermatology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School) Skin vaccination and lung memory
10:40 a.m. – 10:55 a.m.	Discussion
10:55 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.	Shruti Naik, Ph.D. (Professor and Director, Colton Center for Autoimmunity, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai) Mechanisms of Tissue Adaptation and Maladaptation
11:20 a.m. – 11:35 a.m.	Discussion
11:35 a.m. – Noon	Laura Cooney, Ph.D. (Director, Biomarker Discovery Research, Immune Tolerance Network; University of Michigan) TRM insights from ITN trials
Noon – 12:15 p.m.	Discussion
12:15 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.	Lunch LOCATION: CASCADE LOCKS BALLROOM
12:45 p.m. – 12:55 p.m.	*Session 3:* *TRM in Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy* Session Introduction & Moderator Thomas Gebhardt, M.D., Ph.D. (Professor & Head of Gebhardt Lab, The University of Melbourne)
12:55 p.m. – 1:20 p.m.	Thomas Gebhardt, M.D., Ph.D. (Professor & Head of Gebhardt Lab, The University of Melbourne) T cell immunity against cutaneous melanoma and metastatic disease
1:20 p.m. – 1:35 p.m.	Discussion
1:35 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.	Lukas Flatz, M.D. (Medical Director and Senior Physician, Dermato-Oncology Section, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen) TRM in immune checkpoint responses and toxicities
2 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.	Discussion
2:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.	Short Talk Sasan Jalili, Ph.D. (Assistant Professor, The Jackson Lab) Microneedle Sampling Reveals Tissue-Resident Memory T Cell Responses
2:30 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.	Jaehyuk Choi, M.D., Ph.D. (Director, Center for Cellular Therapies and Cancer Immunology and Vice Chair, Translational Research and Innovation, Department of Dermatology, UT Southwestern Medical Center) Building better CAR T cells
2:55 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.	Discussion
3:10 p.m. – 3:35 p.m.	Shawn Demehri, M.D., Ph.D. (Professor of Dermatology and Director of the High Risk Skin Cancer Clinic, Harvard Medical School) Virome antigens/TRM cell axis as the trigger for immune recognition of mutant clones in normal tissues
3:35 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.	Discussion
3:50 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.	Patrick Brunner, M.D., MSc (Professor of Dermatology and Vice-Chair of Research, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai) TRM in cutaneous lymphomas
4:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	Discussion
4:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.	*Symposium Group Photo* (Front Lawn outside of The Gorge Room)
4:45 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.	Break / Optional Recreational Activities (meet at hotel front desk) Skamania Lodge Trail Walk (~2 miles) Skamania Lodge Art Tour
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.	Dinner LOCATION: CASCADE LOCKS BALLROOM
7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.	Wine Reception Flash Talks & Poster Competition Sponsored by AbbVie LOCATION: STEVENSON BALLROOM

Sunday, October 18

8 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.	Breakfast LOCATION: CASCADE LOCKS BALLROOM
8:45 a.m. – 8:50 a.m.	Meeting Announcements LOCATION (ALL TALKS): STEVENSON BALLROOM
8:50 a.m. – 9 a.m.	*Session 4: TRM Driving Inflammatory Skin Disease* Sponsored by Galderma Session Introduction & Moderator William J. “Cris” Crisler, Ph.D. (Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School)
9 a.m. – 9:25 a.m.	William J. “Cris” Crisler, Ph.D. (Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School) Resident Memory T cells and Necroptosis in Skin Fibrosing Disorders
9:25 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.	Discussion
9:40 a.m. – 10:05 a.m.	Georg Stary, M.D. (Professor of Dermatology and Principal Investigator, Medical University of Vienna) Tissue-resident T cells after HSCT: Reconstitution, adaption and GVHD
10:05 a.m. – 10:20 a.m.	Discussion
10:20 a.m. – 10:35 a.m.	Short Talk Catherine Pei-ju Lu, Ph.D. (Assistant Professor, New York University Grossman School of Medicine) Longitudinal Multi-Omic Profiling in Human Face Transplant Reveals LAG3 as a Therapeutic Target for Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation
10:35 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.	Coffee Break
10:50 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.	Marine-Alexia Lefevre, M.D., Ph.D. (Associate Professor, Clinical Allergology and Immunology, University Hospital of Saint-Étienne, France) Tissue-Resident Memory T Cells in Chronic Eczema: From Local Immune Memory to Novel Therapeutic Approaches
11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	Discussion
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.	Lunch LOCATION: CASCADE LOCKS BALLROOM
12:15 p.m. – 12:40 p.m.	Christoph Schlapbach, M.D., Ph.D. (Professor & Chair, Department of Dermatology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern) Metabolic dependencies of pathogenic TH2 cells in human skin
12:40 p.m. – 12:55 p.m.	Discussion
12:55 p.m. – 1:10 p.m.	Short Talk Daniel Stein, MEng (Ph.D. Student, Harvard University) Identifying niches of tissue resident immunological memory that underlie psoriasis relapse after treatment with ustekinumab
1:10 p.m. – 1:25 p.m.	Short Talk Daniel Sortebech, M.D. (M.D., Ph.D. Student, Karolinska Institutet) Epidermal Tc17 clonotypes define a skin-joint axis and a circulating CD18⁺ T-cell signature in psoriatic arthritis
1:25 p.m. – 1:40 p.m.	Short Talk Rundong Jiang, M.D. (University of Michigan) A Longitudinal Single-Cell Atlas of Anti-IL-23 Therapy in Plaque Psoriasis Reveals Mechanisms of Sustained Response
1:40 p.m. – 2:05 p.m.	John Harris, M.D., Ph.D. (Chair, Department of Dermatology, Mass General Brigham) TRM in vitiligo
2:05 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.	Discussion
2:20 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.	Johann Gudjonsson, M.D., Ph.D. (Professor of Dermatology, Professor of Internal Medicine and Research Professor, University of Michigan) TRM in human inflammatory skin diseases
2:45 p.m. – 3 p.m.	Discussion
3:15 p.m. – 6 p.m.	Break / Optional Recreational Activities (meet at hotel front desk) Multnomah Falls Waterfall Walk Fish Hatchery & Bonneville Dam Tour
6 p.m. – 7 p.m.	Dinner & Awards LOCATION: CASCADE LOCKS BALLROOM
7 p.m. – 10 p.m.	Reception & Karaoke LOCATION: ADAMS CONFERENCE ROOM

Monday, October 19

7 a.m. – 7:45 a.m.	Breakfast
8 a.m.	Bus Departs for PDX Airport

2026 Support Acknowledgement

Funding for this conference was made possible (in part) by a grant (5R13AR009431-59) from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention by trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

The Montagna Symposium on the Biology of Skin gratefully acknowledges:

NIH Grant Number 2 R13 AR009431-59 from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID) for the SID Eugene M. Farber Travel Awards for Young Investigators
Journal of Investigative Dermatology
Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology (JSID) for the JSID Travel Awards for Young Investigators
Taiwanese Society for Investigative Dermatology (TSID) for the TSID Travel Awards for Young Investigators
European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR) for the ESDR Travel Awards for Young Investigators

Grant Supporters:

LEO Foundation
National Institute of Health

Champion:

Johnson & Johnson
SUN Pharma

Sustainer:

David M.C. Ju Foundation
Galderma

Benefactor:

AbbVie
Antipode
Society for Investigative Dermatology

Patron:

Amgen
Castle Biosciences
Incyte
Lilly
SKNV
Skin of Color Society
UCB

Associate:

Oregon Dermatology Society
Biology of Skin Foundation