2nd AnnualInvitation Only
Melanoma
USFocus Meeting 2027
Two days, 53 people, one room.
February 12 to 13, 2027
Omni Austin Hotel Downtown, Austin, TX
Dates
February 12-13, 2027
Two-day program
Venue
Omni Austin Hotel Downtown
Austin, TX
Audience
53 by invitation
24 faculty & 29 fellows
Format
8 sessions · 24 talks
Expert talks + moderated panels
A Curated Room: The People Shaping Practice
Now in its second year, this invitation-only meeting convenes a deliberately small faculty: 24 leading melanoma KOLs alongside 29 hand-selected fellows and junior faculty, the clinicians defining today’s standards and the ones who will define the next decade’s, in one room for two days.
The program follows melanoma from stage II and III risk assessment and adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy, through stage IV immunotherapy, multidisciplinary management and cellular therapy, to uveal, mucosal and pediatric disease and survivorship. Every session pairs expert talks with a moderated panel, sustained, close-quarters engagement rather than a lecture hall.
Neoadjuvant ImmunotherapyctDNA-Guided Adjuvant TherapyCellular & Intratumoral TherapyCNS DiseaseUveal MelanomaMucosal & Pediatric MelanomaToxicity, Fertility & Survivorship
Meeting Co-Chairs
Listed alphabetically by surname

Charlotte E. Ariyan
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

Michael Davies
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Faculty Drawn From
MD Anderson · Memorial Sloan Kettering · Moffitt · Massachusetts General · Stanford · Johns Hopkins and other leading US cancer centers
53
Invited attendees only, sustained access, not a crowd
1:1
KOLs to rising faculty, a hand-picked balance in every session
14
Established US Focus Meetings behind it, a proven platform, not a one-off
Talks across 8 sessions, each paired with a panel and a case
Melanoma US Focus Meeting 2027
Proposed Faculty
Listed alphabetically by surname
Rodabe Amaria
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Charlotte E. Ariyan
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Christopher Barker
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Allison Betof
Stanford Medicine, Stanford, CA
Elizabeth Buchbinder
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Richard Carvajal
Northwell Health, Long Island, NY
Michael Davies
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Mark Faries
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Jeffrey Gershenwald
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Isabella Glitza
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
William Harbour
UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
Elena Hawryluk
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Janice Mehnert
NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY
Marlana Orloff Dacey
Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Sapna Patel
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO
April K.S. Salama
Duke Health, Durham, NC
Alexander Shoushtari
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
James Smithy
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Vernon Sondak
Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL
Julie Stein Deutsch
Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Ryan Sullivan
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Hussein Tawbi
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Michael Tetzlaff
The University of California, San Francisco, CA
Jonathan Zager
Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL
Two Days, Eight Sessions
Proposed Agenda
Presentations20 min
Panel Discussions20 min
Coffee Breaks20 min
Lunch Breaks50 min
65 min
Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Session IStage II & III: Personalizing Management
ModeratorTBD
Personalizing Risk Assessment and Surgical Management in Stage II & III Melanoma
Vernon SondakMoffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL
Adjuvant Systemic Therapy in Melanoma
Janice MehnertNYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY
Use of ctDNA to Personalize Adjuvant Therapy
April K.S. SalamaDuke Health, Durham, NC
Panel Discussion
Session IIStage III: Neoadjuvant Therapy
ModeratorTBD
Pathological Response Assessment
Michael TetzlaffThe University of California, San Francisco, CA
Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy
Sapna PatelUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO
Surgical Considerations
Mark FariesCedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Panel Discussion
Session IIIStage IV Treatments: Part 1
ModeratorTBD
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: Current and Future
James SmithyMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Predictors of Response to Immunotherapy
Julie Stein DeutschJohns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Understanding Resistance to Immunotherapy for Melanoma
Hussein TawbiMD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Panel Discussion
Session IVStage IV: Multidisciplinary Management
ModeratorTBD
Role of Surgery
Jeffrey GershenwaldMD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Role of Radiation
Christopher BarkerMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Management of CNS Disease
Allison BetofStanford Medicine, Stanford, CA
Panel Discussion
Session VStage IV Treatments: Part 2
ModeratorTBD
Cellular Immunotherapy: Past, Present, and Future
Rodabe AmariaMD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Intratumoral Immunotherapy
Charlotte E. AriyanMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Molecular Targets and Therapies
Ryan SullivanMassachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Panel Discussion
Session VIUveal Melanoma
ModeratorRichard Carvajal
Advances in Understanding the Molecular Pathogenesis of Uveal Melanoma
William HarbourUT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
Advances in Immunotherapy
Richard CarvajalNorthwell Health, Long Island, NY
Hepatic Therapy
Jonathan ZagerMoffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL
Panel Discussion
Session VIIRare Populations
ModeratorTBD
New Paradigms for Mucosal Melanoma
Alexander ShoushtariMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Molecular Targets/Therapies in Non-Cutaneous Melanoma
Marlana Orloff DaceyThomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Pediatric Melanoma
Elena HawrylukMassachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Panel Discussion
Session VIIIEmerging Patient Care Areas
ModeratorTBD
Immunotherapy Toxicities
Elizabeth BuchbinderMassachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Pregnancy, Fertility, and Immunotherapy
Isabella GlitzaMD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Melanoma Surveillance and Survivorship
Michael DaviesMD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Panel Discussion
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