Top Takeaways from attending the Medical Affairs Professional Society (MAPS) 2025 Conference
I’m typing this as I sit in Terminal C, waiting for my flight back to Boston. The best soundtrack I’ve ever heard is playing in the background (I would expect no less from NOLA), and the planes are taking off into the haze—very relaxing. A good place to reflect on what I learned at the MAPS 2025 conference.
To start, this was my first one. If I’m being honest, I expected a very dry, scientific, and myopic affair. It was anything but. There was an overriding focus on patient care—as there should be—but it was tempered by a healthy dose of business realism. Every speaker and workshop attendee was engaging, insightful, and earnest. The mix of industry and vendors was welcomed, and the conversations—at least the ones I was part of—never ventured too far into the sales pitch.
I was there to learn more about how Medical Affairs is embracing the changes associated with increased digital promotional activity, the growing collaboration with Commercial to provide “one voice of the company,” and the need to prove value. I was not disappointed. A good 40% of the workshops focused on one of these topics, and that was more than enough to fill my days.
So what were my big takeaways from three days and nights with Medical Affairs (MA) professionals?
There is an ability to enact change on the MA side that is far more difficult on the Commercial side.
From experimenting with digital promotions to finding ways to work with other areas of the company, MA has a much different vibe. For one, at least with respect to omnichannel and all that goes with it, the field is green. There are no preconceived notions of what needs to be done—only what works. I wouldn’t expect anything less from a group devoted to scientific proof and education. Second, for a function that has largely been viewed as a very expensive cost center, MA leaders are eager to prove the impact of the work they do. There is nothing to hide—only the opportunity to prove value.
Medical Affairs could learn a lot from their Commercial counterparts about data management and analytics.
During one workshop on MA impact, I brought up the ability to go beyond counting activity and comparing trends through machine learning-based analytics. I did this by flashing my real-time Slido response to the question: “What are some of the ways to measure impact?” The speaker saw the response on the screen and immediately asked, “Who submitted that?” I said I did—and everyone in the room turned to see what I would say. I was caught off guard. Who isn’t doing some of this? The point is, the people in MA know they can do better at measuring impact using AI/ML approaches, but no one has done it. Commercial has—and they should fully leverage that experience.
Commercial and Medical Affairs collaboration is in its infancy.
Integrating Commercial and Medical Affairs customer engagement was a hot topic with many areas to consider, not the least of which was compliance. I had some great conversations about what people think they can do and what they are planning to do—but I didn’t come away with concrete examples. This is to be expected, and I imagine this is an area within pharma that will mature quickly.
I’d like to thank MAPS for an outstanding conference. I’ll definitely be back next year. My favorite workshop was “Addressing Health Inequity in Research,” led by Dr. Tracy Huggins and Dr. Melva Covington. Their passion is infectious, and their approach addresses both the need to focus more attention on underserved patient communities and the pharma company’s need to run a business.
Contact us now to schedule a meeting with our team of experts