Dear GlobalSkin Members,

I am sending a heartfelt thank you to all our members that have been actively involved in the initiatives that GlobalSkin has been working on so far this year! Especially those that have contributed to the Regional Engagement Series. We will use your feedback to develop regional reports to advance our advocacy and support implementation of the “All Skin Diseases” World Health Assembly Resolution. We held six Regional Workshops that are helping to inform GlobalSkin's input in the development of a Global Action Plan on Skin Diseases as called for in the WHA Resolution. We are grateful to everyone who contributed their insights.

GlobalSkin will attend at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting taking place March 27–31 in Denver, USA. Representing the organization will be GlobalSkin Board President, Marc Yale, Operations & Research Programs Director, Allison FitzGerald, and Strategic Partnerships Manager, Jakub Sadocha.

Leading into the AAD, Allison will attend and deliver a presentation at the Association for Psychoneurocutaneous Medicine of North America Annual Meeting and speak at their gala event.

On February 26, 2026, GlobalSkin CEO, Jennifer Austin, participated in a panel discussion during the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV)-hosted event, “More than just skin: Turning global commitments on skin diseases into EU and national action,” held at the European Parliament. The session explored how the WHA Skin Diseases Resolution can be translated from global commitments into meaningful action across the European Union and at national levels. 

GlobalSkin continues to monitor progress in the developement of the Global Action Plan (GAP), an integral part of the WHA Skin Diseases Resolution adopted in May last year. We are in close contact with the World Health Organization and the team in the Neglected Tropical Diseases Department who are leading this ground-breaking work. This strategic framework document will be included on the agenda for the 80^th World Health Assembly in 2027 where Member States will debate and be invited to adopt it.

GlobalSkin is excited to announce that our flagship biennial Member event, the GlobalSkin Conference 2027, will be held June 3-5, 2027, at the Westin Hotel in Montreal, Canada. Our theme “Unite” will steer us to inspire, connect, and unite our Member Community. Registration for the GlobalSkin Conference 2027 will open later this year, but in the meantime please mark your calendars and plan to join us in Montreal for another fantastic event. We very much look forward to offering travel bursaries and  welcoming GlobalSkin Members to Canada. Stay tuned for more details!

On April 7, GlobalSkin will open the application process for Members interested in running for election to the Board of Directors this year. Members will soon receive an email with details about eligibility and how to apply. Applications will be accepted until May 1. Ahead of the application launch, our current Board Directors will host online coffee chats to answer Members' questions. Two sessions will be held on April 1 (08:00 and 16:00 EDT). 

Members, please mark your calendars for GlobalSkin’s upcoming Annual General Meeting! On June 23 at 09:00 EDT, we will host our AGM where Members will have the chance to hear about GlobalSkin’s initiatives over the past year and learn about what is planned for our future. An agenda and other supporting materials for this meeting will be shared in early June. Please watch your e-mail for information on when and how to register for this important online meeting.

On February 28, GlobalSkin and our RareDERM Community - a network of more than 153 patient organizations representing approximately 29 rare dermatological diseases across all six WHO regions - once again united to raise global awareness of rare skin diseases on Rare Disease Day. Our campaign elevated the voices and lived experiences of people affected by rare skin diseases, highlighting both the challenges they face and the resilience of the community.

The first RareDERM Community Coffee Chat of 2026 took place on March 17, bringing members together for an engaging and insightful discussion. The session was led by Chief of Staff and Strategy at the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, Tricha Shivas, and a member of the RareDERM Advisory Committee. Titled “Information Gathering, Data Sharing, Registries and Beyond,” the event explored the importance of social listening and collecting patient insights to support research and improve clinical care.

Each year the global Atopic Eczema community comes together on September 14th for World Atopic Eczema Day. We raise awareness for atopic eczema; speak up about its burden on patients and caregivers, and the need for care and treatment that is reflective of the multidimensional nature of the disease. This year’s theme is Atopic Eczema #BreakTheInvisibleBurden.

Connect with fellow Atopic Eczema Community members over coffee on April 9 at 10 AM ET. The Coffee Chat will be hosted by President and Executive Director of the International Topic Steroid and Addiction Network (ITSAN), Kelly Barta. She will share the journey of advocating about Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW) and lead a conversation around challenges and successes in its recognition as a distinct disease area. She will also be joined by Dr. Peter Lio, who will provide a clinical overview of the condition and how it is distinct from severe eczema. We look forward to seeing you there! Please check your e-mail for the registration link, or contact Nicole Sudiacal.

GlobalSkin-Europe held an informal Coffee Chat on March 20, bringing members together to exchange updates and discuss key priorities for the coming months. The discussion covered upcoming GlobalSkin-Europe activities as well as GlobalSkin's regional consultation linked to the WHA Skin Resolution, with participants sharing perspectives on how organizations across the region can contribute to the process.

GlobalSkin’s Operations and Research Programs Director Allison FitzGerald contributed as a co-author to a newly published article in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (JEADV), titled “Building the foundations for an international patient-centred outcomes set for psoriasis: A scoping study.” This publication is part of the ongoing PsoVOS initiative, led by the International Federation for Psoriasis Associations and the International Psoriasis Council. 

The World Skin Health Coalition continues to grow bringing together 36 Partners (including 18 patient organizations, eight medical and healthcare professional organizations, and ten industry Partners) all united in the mission to raise awareness of the global impact of skin diseases/conditions and to increase their prioritization in health policy.

Thinking of the wider dermatology community, the Coalition created a Skin Diseases Resolution InfoDoc that in plain language explains the resolution and outlines Member State commitments and goals for global and national action plans. You can download it here. As the Coalition develops more resources through their work, these helpful documents will be posted on the Coalition website.