World Melanoma Day Global Symposium

World Melanoma Day Global Symposium highlights one of the most pressing challenges in oncology: the rising global burden of melanoma and the continued need for earlier detection and improved therapeutic strategies. Held during May, Melanoma Awareness Month, the World Melanoma Day symposium aligns with global efforts to strengthen clinical awareness and improve outcomes in skin cancer care.

In 2022, an estimated 330,000 new melanoma skin cancer cases were diagnosed worldwide, with approximately 60,000 related deaths. Despite meaningful advances in systemic therapy, outcomes remain highly stage-dependent, underscoring persistent disparities in early diagnosis. Five-year survival rates demonstrate this gap clearly: 100.0% for localized disease, 75.7% for regional disease, and 34.6% for metastatic melanoma. These figures reflect both progress in treatment innovation and the ongoing clinical imperative for earlier intervention. In the United States, melanoma mortality declined by 17.9% between 2013 and 2016, largely driven by advances in immunotherapy and targeted therapy.

World Melanoma Day Global Symposium https://t.co/LcCIRU6sfI

— OncoDaily (@oncodaily) May 11, 2026

Event Details

Date: May 11, 2026
Format: Virtual Global Symposium
Live Streaming: YouTube | X

Registration is open

Chair

Images	Name
	Steven O' Day - Chair Dr. O’Day is the Chief Medical Officer at Agenus and a pioneer in cancer immunotherapy. Since joining in 2020, he has led the company’s expansion in immuno-oncology. With over three decades of experience as a medical oncologist, he has played a key role in advancing cancer therapies, particularly in the development of CTLA-4–targeted treatments, and continues to drive innovation in the field.
	Barbara T. Ma - Co-Chair Dr. Barbara T. Ma is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and Director of Cell Therapy for Solid Tumors at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian, specializing in melanoma, skin cancers, tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy, immuno-oncology, and cell therapies for solid tumors, USA.

Speakers

Images	Name	Time	Topic
	Lilit Karapetyan Dr. Karapetyan is an Assistant Member in the Department of Cutaneous Oncology at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Assistant Professor of Oncologic Sciences at the University of South Florida. Her clinical and research work focuses on melanoma, with a particular emphasis on adoptive cell therapy and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Her translational research explores the immunobiology of tertiary lymphoid structures and their role in shaping anti-tumor immune responses. She is a recipient of the ASCO Young Investigator Award and the Melanoma Research Foundation Career Development Award.
	Vernon K. Sondak Dr. Sondak is Chair of the Department of Cutaneous Oncology at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and holds the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Distinguished Endowed Chair in Cutaneous Oncology. A globally recognized leader in melanoma, he has played a pivotal role in advancing surgical management, including sentinel lymph node biopsy, as well as perioperative treatment strategies. His work spans both clinical and translational research, with extensive contributions to multidisciplinary melanoma care and over 500 peer-reviewed publications.
	Joseph Markowitz Dr. Joseph Markowitz is an Associate Member of the Department of Cutaneous Oncology at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute and an Associate Professor of Oncologic Sciences at the University of South Florida.
	Adil Daud Dr. Adil Daud is a Medical Oncologist specializing in melanoma and skin cancers and serves as Co-Director of the Melanoma Center. He is actively involved in clinical research, leading trials focused on advancing gene therapy and innovative treatments for melanoma, USA.
	Jafar Al-Mondhiry Dr. Jafar Al-Mondhiry is a medical oncologist working at Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Fairfax, VA. He specializes in the treatment of cutaneous malignancies, including melanoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, advanced squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas, and cutaneous lymphomas. Particularly areas of interest include issues in experimental therapeutics for cutaneous malignancies, immunotherapy & immune related adverse events, medical education, medical ethics, and palliative/supportive care for patients with advanced cancers.
	Zahra Mohamed Ahmed Dr. Zahra Mohamed Ahmed is a Clinical Oncologist at HCG CCK, specializing in comprehensive cancer care and patient-centered treatment approaches, Kenya.
	Andrea Boutros Dr. Andrea Boutros is a Medical Oncologist and Assistant Professor at the University of Genoa, and a clinician at the IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera Metropolitana, Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.
	Gerardo Cazzato Dr. Gerardo Cazzato is a dermatologist at the Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy.
	Joao Paulo Lima Dr. João Paulo Lima is a Medical Oncologist in the Melanoma Unit at AC Camargo Cancer Center, Brazil.
	Philip Friedlander Dr. Philip Friedlander is an Assistant Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology) and Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA. He specializes in melanoma and skin cancers, with a focus on advancing innovative treatment approaches and clinical research.
	Rebecca Hartman Dr. Rebecca Hartman is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and Director of Melanoma Epidemiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, USA. She also serves as Chief of the Dermatology Section at the VA Boston Healthcare System, with a focus on melanoma research and epidemiology.
	James W. Smithy Dr. James W. Smithy is a clinical investigator at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, USA, specializing in melanoma and cellular therapy. His work focuses on novel combination immunotherapies and translational clinical trials for advanced melanoma, including treatment-resistant disease.
	Yana G. Najjar Dr. Yana G. Najjar is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Clinical and Translational Research Center at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, specializing in advanced melanoma, anti-PD1 resistant melanoma, and rare melanoma subtypes, USA.
	Douglas Johnson Dr. Douglas Johnson is a Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Director of the Melanoma and Vanderbilt Precision Oncology programs at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, specializing in melanoma immunotherapy, targeted therapies, biomarkers of treatment response, and management of therapy-related side effects, USA.
	Axel Hauschild Dr. Axel Hauschild is a Professor of Dermatology and Head of the Skin Cancer Trial Center at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel, specializing in skin cancer and melanoma clinical research, Germany.
	Hauwa Baba Idris  Hauwa Baba Idris is a Global Melanoma Ambassador and Melanoma Awareness Campaign Coordinator at The Cancer Consciousness Initiative, sharing her inspiring melanoma survivor story and advocacy work, Nigeria.
	Ayuba Hannatu Dr. Ayuba Hannatu Usman is a Consultant Radiation and Clinical Oncologist at National Hospital Abuja, CEO of The Cancer Consciousness Initiative, and Program Lead of the TeleOncology Hub, speaking on “How I Treat Melanoma in Nigeria,” Nigeria.
	Zulfiquer Otty Dr. Zulfiquer Otty is a Senior Staff Specialist in Medical Oncology at Townsville Cancer Centre and a Senior Lecturer at James Cook University, specializing in medical oncology and cancer care, Australia.
	Alexander N. Shoushtari Dr. Alexander N. Shoushtari is an Associate Attending Physician in the Melanoma and Cellular Therapy Services at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and an Associate Clinical Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College, specializing in melanoma, low-UV-exposure melanomas, and cellular-based therapies for melanoma and other solid tumors, USA.
	H. Michael Yu Dr. Yu is a Senior Member in the Department of Radiation Oncology at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute and a Professor of Oncologic Sciences at the University of South Florida, specializing in neuro-oncology, palliative care, stereotactic radiosurgery, and radiotherapy for brain, spine, advanced, and metastatic cancers, USA.
	Carlton Johnny Dr. Carlton Johnny is a Radiation Oncologist at CancerCare Manitoba and an Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba, specializing in head and neck cancers, skin malignancies, sarcoma, genitourinary cancers, and stereotactic body radiation therapy for skin cancers, Canada.
	David Savage Dr. Savage is a board-certified Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology physician and Fellow of the American College of Physicians, with medical oncology training completed at Scripps Green and Scripps Clinic, USA.
	Arkadiusz Z. Dudek Dr. Arkadiusz Z. Dudek is a Professor of Oncology and Consultant in Medical Oncology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, specializing in melanoma, skin cancer, uveal melanoma, cancer immunotherapy, clinical trials, novel cancer therapeutics, and cell therapies for melanoma, USA.

Scientific Program

The Virtual World Melanoma Day Symposium is a global, expert-driven scientific meeting designed to convene oncologists, dermatologists, and melanoma researchers. The program is structured to reflect current clinical challenges and evolving standards of care in melanoma management. This symposium will provide a high-level platform for reviewing contemporary evidence, discussing translational research, and examining real-world implications of emerging treatment strategies. The event is designed to foster international dialogue and knowledge exchange across disciplines involved in skin cancer care.

Closing Note

The Virtual World Melanoma Day Symposium is positioned as a focused scientific exchange aimed at translating advances in melanoma research into improved patient outcomes. Through international collaboration and evidence-based discussion, the event seeks to support clinicians in addressing one of the most rapidly evolving areas in oncology.