ISHARE-ing at the collabortive International Mountain Medicine Meeting in Hathersage, UK May 2026

The scientific meeting was a joint effort by the International Society for Mountain Medicine (ISMM), British Society for Mountain Medicine (BSMM) and International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (Union Internationale des Associations D'Alpinisme, UIAA).

Focus on Women in the Mountains

A full morning session was dedicated to Women in the Mountains, sponsored by the UIAA medical commission. This session built on the recent Women in the Mountains project, highlighting the need for more inclusive research.

Dr. Lenka Horokova highlighted some of the many research gaps that remain – including the lack of data on postmenopausal women and the fact that many articles on high-altitude physiology feature only men.

Dr. Linda Keyes busted the myth of progesterone as a respiratory stimulant that has been used to exclude women from high altitude studies. She also dispelled the myth that hypobaric hypoxia is an independent risk factor for venothromboembolism (VTE) in the mountains, citing recent work from EURAC Terra X-cube researchers and ISHARE collaborators. This set the scene for Dr. Keyes to introduce the ISHARE project in her session.

Introducing the ISHARE Project

Drs. Brodmann and Keyes gave an overview of the ISHARE project to the ISMM general assembly. There was limited time to enjoy the beautiful Hathersage countryside between research planning meetings, fielding questions from potential participants and collaborators, and building commercial partnerships. By the end of the conference, over 40 women had applied to join the expedition as climbers or trekkers. Dear reader, we hope you join and support us too!