June 5 | Portland, Maine

2023 Annual Symposium on Risks and Opportunities of AI in Pharmaceutical Medicine

AI and Causality

About the Symposium

Where will the AI revolution take pharmaceutical science?

The Symposium on Risks and Opportunities of AI in Pharmaceutical Medicine is an event jointly sponsored by Pfizer Inc., the Roux Institute at Northeastern University and the American Statistical Association (ASA).

This event is designed to serve as a platform for distinguished statisticians, data scientists, regulators, and other professionals to address the challenges and opportunities of AI in pharmaceutical medicine; to foster collaboration among industry, academia, regulatory agencies, and professional associations; and to propose recommendations with policy implications for proper implementation of AI in promoting public health.

As a convener of researchers in the fields of AI, data science, biotechnology, computational medicine, and more, industry partners, academic faculty, and entrepreneurs, the Roux Institute at Northeastern University is uniquely positioned to host this event and connect the experts needed to tackle the challenges and opportunities presented.

The Roux Institute at Northeastern University is a center of activity for both the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics Center (OHDSI), which advances healthcare by fostering reproducible research through open science, and the Institute for Experiential Artificial Intelligence (EAI), which researches and develops human-centric AI solutions that leverage machine technology to extend human intelligence. ​

As a co-sponsor with Pfizer Inc. and the American Statistical Association, the Roux Institute at Northeastern University is pleased to host this symposium focused on Risks and Opportunities of AI in Pharmaceutical Medicine.

Challenges and Opportunities

Our world increasingly relies on data and computing to create knowledge, make critical decisions, and better predict the future. Data science has emerged to support these data-driven activities by integrating and developing ideas, concepts, and tools from computer science, engineering, information science, statistics, and domain fields. Data science now drives fields as diverse as biology, astronomy, material science, political science, and medicine—not to mention vast tracts of the global economy, key government activities, and quotidian social and societal functions.

The pharmaceutical enterprise has been slower to respond, especially to the rapid developments in AI, but tectonic shifts are underway in approaches to the discovery, development, evaluation, registration, monitoring, and marketing of medicines for the benefit of patients and the health of the community.

While there is much discussion about the potential of AI and modern machine learning tools to transform the drug development paradigm, there is a growing recognition of the paucity of research about the inevitable pitfalls and unintended consequences of the digital revolution in this important area of application. As we move toward personalized and truly evidence-based medicine, the use of AI and machine learning to optimize drug deployment raises a whole different set of challenges.

Conference Co-Chairs
Demissie Alemayehu, Pfizer Inc.
David Madigan, Northeastern University

Date & Time
June 5, 2023, 7:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Location
Ocean Gateway – Portland, ME 04101

Immediately following the day’s program at Ocean Gateway, please join us for an Evening Reception!
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: The Roux Institute, 100 Fore Street, Portland, ME 04101 (Across the street from the Ocean Gateway)

Registration Fees

In-Person – $125
Virtual – $75
Student/Recent Graduate* – $0

Registration is all-inclusive of refreshments; breakfast and lunch will be served.

*The Student/Recent Graduate registration rate is available only to individuals currently enrolled in a graduate, post-graduate, or undergraduate program; or individuals who graduated from such a program in the prior 12 months. Documentation showing proof of status may be requested after registration.

The theme of AIPM 2023 is AI and Causality.

Featured Speaker

  • Guido W. Imbens, PhD

    2021 Nobel Memorial Prize Laureate in Economic Sciences, Applied Econometrics Professor and Professor of Economics at Stanford Graduate School of Business. After graduating from Brown University, Dr. Imbens taught at Harvard University, UCLA, and the University of California at Berkeley. His research focuses on developing methods for drawing causal inferences in observational studies, using matching, instrumental variables, and regression-discontinuity designs. He holds honorary doctorates from Brown University and the University of St. Gallen. Dr. Imbens is an elected fellow of the Econometric Society, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences.

Speakers and Panelists

  • Aloka Chakravarty, PhD

    Director, Data Analytics, Office of Data, Analytics & Research, Office of the Commissioner, FDA

  • Anant Madabhushi, PhD

    Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University

  • Bruce Church, PhD

    Chief Mathematics Officer and EVP, Research and Early Development, Aitia

  • David Madigan, PhD

    Provost and Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs, Northeastern University

  • Demissie Alemayehu

    Vice President, Statistics Department, Pfizer Inc.

  • Elizabeth A. Stuart, PhD

    Professor, Departments of Mental Health, Biostatistics, and Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

  • Emre Kıcıman, PhD

    Senior Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research

  • Haoda Fu, PhD

    Associate Vice President Enterprise Lead, Machine Learning, Eli Lilly

  • George Hripcsak, MD, MS

    Vivian Beaumont Allen Professor of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University

  • Kannan Natarajan, PhD

    Head of Global Biometrics and Data Management, Pfizer Inc.

  • Louisa H. Smith, PhD

    Assistant Professor, Northeastern University

  • Margaret Gamalo, PhD

    Vice President, Statistics Therapeutic Area Head, Pfizer Inc.

  • Mark van der Laan, PhD

    Jiann-Ping Hsu/Karl E. Peace Professor of Biostatistics & Statistics, University of California, Berkeley

  • Michael Katehakis, PhD

    Professor and Chair, Management Science and Information Systems Department, Rutgers University

  • Michael T. Lu, MD, MPH

    Director, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Imaging Trials Center and Harvard Medical School

  • Nigam Shah, PhD

    Professor of Medicine (Biomedical Informatics), Stanford University, Associate CIO for Data Science at Stanford Healthcare, and a member of the Biomedical Informatics Graduate Program as well as the Clinical Informatics Fellowship (Stanford)

  • Rai Winslow, PhD

    Director of Life Science and Medicine Research at the Roux Institute, Northeastern University

  • Sheraz Khan, PhD

    Director of Data Science in Early Clinical Development – Clinical AI/ML and Quantitative Sciences, Pfizer Inc.

  • Subha Madhavan, PhD

  • Tala Fakhouri, PhD

    Associate Director for Policy Analysis, CDER, Office of Medical Policy, US FDA

  • Tianxi Cai, ScD

    John Rock Professor of Population and Translational Data Sciences, Biostatistics Department, Harvard University

About the Roux Institute at Northeastern University

Established in January 2020, the Roux Institute in Portland, Maine is designed as an engine of innovation, talent, and economic growth for Maine, northern New England, and beyond. Partnerships set the model of graduate education and research apart. With leading companies and nonprofit organizations at the table from day one, the Roux Institute creates programs that are preparing the workforce to stay agile and thrive in a competitive landscape powered by artificial intelligence.

The Roux Institute is nurturing an environment for high-impact research and innovation in computer and data science, digital engineering, the advanced life sciences and medicine, and other tech fields. And the Roux helps entrepreneurs launch businesses focused on and powered by technology. Together, with our partners, we are creating an innovation corridor that will stretch from Boston to Portland and beyond.

Planning your Trip

We’re looking forward to welcoming you to Maine. The meeting venue, Ocean Gateway, and the Roux Institute are located in Portland’s historic Old Port neighborhood close to world class museums, restaurants and more. Information about traveling to and staying in Portland can be found below. Attendees may book under a special attendee rate at the nearby AC Hotel (Note: all rooms must be book by 5/4/2023. No guarantees after this date.). And check out the Roux team’s Guide to Portland to make the most of your stay.

Staying in Portland

We have reserved a block of rooms at the AC Hotel Portland Downtown Waterfront, across the street from Ocean Gateway and just down the block from the Roux Institute.  Please call the hotel at 207-835-6590 and mention this conference, or use this link, to reserve your room. Space is limited – we recommend booking early.

Getting to Portland, Maine

It’s easy to get here and easy to get around once you arrive. Portland is just two hours from Boston and four from New York City and Hartford, Connecticut. The Portland International Jetport has 1-stop connections to over 2,000 cities worldwide. Greater Portland is also serviced by national and regional bus lines, offering numerous routes to Maine or ride the rails on the Train to Maine, on the “Downeaster,” Amtrak’s passenger service between Boston and Brunswick.

Parking in Portland

Hourly parking is available at the Roux Institute (100 Fore Street) on level PO and payable by credit card. There are several public pay lots in the neighborhood around the Roux and Ocean Gateway, and the hotel above also offer paid parking with room reservation.

Sponsored by

Program Committee

Special thank you to the 2023 AIPM Program Committee members for their leadership developing this year’s program!

Demissie Alemayehu, Pfizer Inc. (Chair)
Javier Cabrera, Rutgers University
Margaret Gamalo, Pfizer Inc.
Shameer Khader, Sanofi
Kristin Kostka, Northeastern University
Hana Lee, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Subha Madhavan, Pfizer Inc.
Justin Manjourides, Northeastern University
Suzanne Taranto, Pfizer Inc.

Contact information

For program related queries, please reach out to:

David Madigan ([email protected])
Demissie Alemayehu ([email protected])

For all other inquiries, please contact: [email protected]