MAPS sets Boston symposium on AI and ethics in Medical Affairs

The Medical Affairs Professional Society will host a one-day technology and innovation symposium in Boston on Oct. 15, bringing pharma, biotech and MedTech leaders together to discuss AI, digital health and data science. The event will center on how Medical Affairs can use new tools responsibly as those technologies move from pilots into everyday practice.

Why it matters: - Medical Affairs teams are under pressure to use AI and digital health tools in ways that improve value for physicians, patients and companies. - The symposium puts governance, transparency and ethics alongside innovation, signaling that responsible use is now a core business issue, not an afterthought. - The event is open to both MAPS members and non-members, widening access to practitioners across the life sciences sector.

What happened: - The Medical Affairs Professional Society will host the 2026 Medical Affairs Technology and Innovation Symposium on Thursday, Oct. 15, at One Boston Place in downtown Boston. - The MAPS New England Chapter is hosting the event. - Indegene and ACTO are sponsoring the symposium. - Registration is open. - The program is designed for leaders from pharma, biotech and MedTech.

The details: - The symposium will focus on how Medical Affairs teams can apply AI, digital health and data science to daily work. - MAPS CEO Travis Hege said AI is changing expectations for physicians, payers and patients, and that the profession has an opportunity to lead that change. - Hege said attendees will hear from people already using these tools and should leave with practical insights they can apply right away. - The keynote will be delivered by Benjamin Vandendriessche, PhD, CEO of the Digital Medicine Society. - Vandendriessche’s talk is titled "Realizing the Promise of Digital Health: From Innovation to the Sustainable Transformation of Medicine." - The first panel, "From Promise to Performance: AI at Scale in Medical Affairs," will examine how to move AI from pilot projects into daily practice. - The second panel, "Leading into the Future: Ethical Use Cases for AI and Data Science in Medical Affairs," will address governance, transparency and ethical questions. - Featured panelists include Elnaz Alipour of Pfizer, Gary Fanjiang of Amgen, Lee Gervitz of Xenon Pharmaceuticals, Parth Khanna of ACTO, Jully Kim of CSL, Antonia Panayi of Takeda and Gem Roy of Merck. - The event will end with a networking reception for attendees and speakers from the Boston life sciences community. - Event details list the time as 12:30 to 7:30 p.m. ET. - The venue address is One Boston Place, 201 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02108. - Students can register at discounted rates.

Between the lines: - MAPS is positioning Medical Affairs as a strategic hub for AI adoption, not just a support function. - The panel mix suggests the field is moving from experimentation toward operational deployment and policy setting. - The ethics panel shows that life sciences leaders are being asked to manage not only capability, but also trust and oversight.

What's next: - Attendees will hear the keynote, panel discussions and networking sessions on Oct. 15. - MAPS will continue to use its chapter and events network to convene Medical Affairs leaders around digital transformation. - More information is available on the society’s website at MedicalAffairs.org.

The bottom line: - MAPS is using its Boston symposium to frame AI in Medical Affairs as a practical and ethical shift already underway across life sciences.