Recap of the 2024 Boston Pharmaceutical Statistics Symposium

Zhaoyang Teng (Servier), Wenting Cheng (Biogen), Gautier Paux (Sanofi), Xihao Li (UNC), Kristin Baltrusaitis (Harvard), Kush Kapur (argenx)

ASA Biopharmaceutical Report

Dec 12, 2024

Highlights 

Record Attendance and New Initiatives:  The symposium achieved record-breaking attendance with over 230 participants and introduced inaugural short courses with over 60 attendees, both in-person and virtually. The courses covered topics such as Causal Inference and AI/ML for Real-World Evidence, and AI/ML for Clinical Trials and Humanized AI for Healthcare, led by Dr. Yixin Fang and Dr. Mark Chang respectively.

Keynote and Presentations: The symposium featured a keynote by Dr. Margaret Gamalo (Pfizer), who shared insights on the evolving role of statisticians in the AI/ML era. Eight invited speakers from academia, industry, and government, along with 17 poster presenters, including nine lightning talks, showcased their latest research and practical applications.

Community Engagement and Impact:   The event fostered collaboration and professional growth through various initiatives like the Symposium Trivia Challenge, celebrating the legacy of ASA and BCASA. It strengthened connections between academia, industry, government, students, and young professionals, while reinforcing ties among biotech, pharmaceutical companies, and service providers

Organizing Team and Scientific Committee: The Scientific Committee, comprising 26 members, was led by Wenting Cheng, Zhaoyang Teng, Gautier Paux, Xihao Li, Kristin Baltrusaitis, and Kush Kapur. Dedicated subcommittees for Speakers, Short Courses, Posters, Student Awards, Trivia Challenge and Communication played a critical role in ensuring the event's success.

The 2024 Boston Pharmaceutical Statistics Symposium, organized by the Boston Chapter of the American Statistical Association (BCASA) and hosted by Sanofi, was a landmark event that set new records and introduced exciting initiatives. Co-chaired by Wenting Cheng from Biogen and Zhaoyang Teng from Servier, the symposium marked a significant milestone with over 230 attendees—the highest since its inception in 2017.

This year, we expanded the symposium by introducing inaugural short courses on October 31^st, which attracted over 60 participants (in-person and virtual). We were honored to have two outstanding instructors: Dr. Yixin Fang, who led a deep dive into Causal Inference and AI/ML in deriving Real-World Evidence (RWE) from the analysis of Real-World Data (RWD), and Dr. Mark Chang, who shared invaluable insights on AI/ML for Clinical Trials and Humanized AI for Healthcare. These two carefully curated short courses offered a great opportunity for participants to learn from two leading experts.

On November 1^st, the main symposium welcomed over 170 participants who were captivated by an insightful keynote speech from Dr. Margaret Gamalo, PhD, FASA, of Pfizer. She shared her perspective on the evolving role of statisticians in the pharmaceutical industry during the era of AI and machine learning, inspiring many with her forward-thinking insights.

The symposium featured eight invited speakers from academia, industry and government who shared their latest research and practical insights: Joseph Ibrahim, Veronica Bunn, J. Kyle Wathen, Zoe Hua, Zhaoling Meng, Cynthia Hau, James Rogers, and Issa Dahabreh. Additionally, 17 poster presenters showcased their work, with nine selected for lightning talks, providing a dynamic platform for emerging ideas in statistics in drug development. To foster community spirit and celebrate our rich history, we introduced the Symposium Trivia Challenge, promoting the legacy of the ASA and BCASA within the regional statistical community.

Beyond the presentations, the symposium served as an invaluable platform for personal and professional growth. It enabled attendees to learn from one another, exchange ideas, and build meaningful relationships aimed at fostering a stronger, more collaborative future. Together, we are innovating to transform ideas into impactful solutions for healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry. The event also strengthened collaborations between academia and industry, bridged connections between students, young professionals and industry leaders, and reinforced ties among biotech and pharmaceutical companies and service providers.

The full event agenda and presentation slides can be found on the BCASA website: 2024 - BostonChapter

The Scientific Committee, comprising 26 members, played a crucial role in organizing the symposium. The leaders of the Scientific Committee included Co-Chair and President of BCASA, Wenting Cheng; Co-Chair and Chair of Speakers and Short Course Subcommittee, Zhaoyang Teng; Vice-Chair and Venue Host, Gautier Paux; Vice-Chair and Chair of Poster and Lightning Talks Subcommittee, Xihao Li; Past Chair and Student Volunteer Liaison, Kristin Baltrusaitis; and Chair of Communication Subcommittee and Webmaster of BCASA, Kush Kapur. Special thanks to the subcommittees for their outstanding leadership and unwavering dedication. The Speaker and Short Course Subcommittee was led by Zhaoyang Teng, Disa Yu, Tu Xu, and Jinghui Dong. The Poster and Lightning Talks Subcommittee included Xihao Li, Ina Jazić, Hailu Chen, Jinghui Dong, Larry Han, and Disa Yu. The Student Poster Award Subcommittee comprised Jimmy Efird, Kosalaram Goteti, Xihao Li, Ina Jazić, and Kush Kapur. The Trivia Challenge Subcommittee was organized by Charles Liu, Ting Wang, and Qing Li. Our Venue Host Representative was Gautier Paux. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the entire Scientific Committee for their exceptional work.

Last, we deeply appreciate our generous sponsors. Our Venue Sponsor, Sanofi, provided an excellent location and technical support for the symposium. The substantial support from our Platinum Sponsor, Novo Nordisk, was invaluable to the event's success. Cytel, as our Gold Sponsor, contributed significantly to the symposium. We also acknowledge our Silver Sponsors—BioPier, LLC., HopeAI, and PanaCRO—for their important roles in supporting the event. Special thanks to Servier, our Short Course Sponsor, for their generous support in the new short course initiative’ success. The 2024 Boston Pharmaceutical Statistics Symposium was a landmark event that showcased the collective efforts of many dedicated colleagues and institutions. We look forward to continuing this tradition of excellence at next year's symposium. Thank you once again for your continued support and for making the event an unequivocal success.

Some members of the Scientific Committee (from left to right): Kosalaram Goteti, Weidong Zhang, Ina Jazić, Xihao Li, Gautier Paux, Wenting Cheng, Kush Kapur, Zhaoyang Teng, Kristin Baltrusaitis, Charles Liu, Qing Li, Jameson Luks, and Lei Gao.

Scientific Committee members with ASA Executive Director Ron Wasserstein (from left to right): Disa Yu, Ron Wasserstein, Jianchang Lin, Gautier Paux, Wenting Cheng, Charles Liu, and Kristin Baltrusaitis. Ron Wasserstein gives the opening remarks at the Friday’s symposium.