Montagna symposium 2026

Dear ESDR Colleagues,

I’m writing to personally encourage you, and especially your trainees, to consider attending the 2026 Montagna Symposium on the Biology of Skin, taking place October 15–19 at Skamania Resort in the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon (USA). As one of this year’s organizers, I’m excited about the program we’ve put together and wanted to share it directly with the ESDR community.

This year’s theme is Tissue-Resident Memory T Cells (TRM), with sessions on their core biology, their role in infection and host-microbe interactions, tumor immunology and immunotherapy, and their involvement in inflammatory skin disease. The speaker line-up includes Donna Farber, David Masopust, Thomas Kupper, Shruti Naik, Johann Gudjonsson, and John Harris, alongside short talks selected from submitted abstracts and a poster competition. You can find the full program at https://montagnasymposium.org/program/.

If you haven’t been to a Montagna Symposium before, what makes it special is the format. It’s a small, single-track meeting in a retreat setting rather than a large convention center, so there’s no choosing between competing sessions – everyone, from trainees to senior PIs, sits through the same talks and discussions together. Just as importantly, the schedule builds in real unstructured time: shared meals, a mentorship mixer, hikes, a firepit evening, and a wine reception. Having helped organize this year’s meeting, I can say this is very deliberate – it’s a setting built for the kind of cross-career-stage conversation that’s much harder to find at bigger conferences. I’ve seen trainees end up at dinner next to someone whose papers they’ve been citing for years.

I also want to highlight that ESDR is sponsoring a travel award again this year. It’s open to ESDR members under age 40, and covers hotel costs (approximately $1,200 for four nights at Skamania Lodge), up to $600 toward travel/flights, and meeting registration. To apply, submit an abstract and indicate interest in the travel award; the deadline is July 19, 2026, with winners announced August 3, 2026. Full details and the application link are athttps://montagnasymposium.org/travel-awards/.

I’d love to see strong ESDR representation at Montagna this year, particularly from our early-career researchers. Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any questions about the meeting or the application process.

Hope to see many of you there!

Best regards,

Liv Eidsmo, MD, PhD
Professor of Dermatology and Venereology, Karolinska Institutet and University Hospital
Co-Organizer, 2026 Montagna Symposium on the Biology of Skin