From activity to impact: 5 takeaways from MAPS Americas 2026
June 2, 2026 | Congress, Pharma, healthcare, medical affairs
Across sessions, panels, and conversations on the ground in Denver, there was a noticeable shift in both mindset and momentum. Many of the themes discussed in previous years are now being actively implemented, with teams moving beyond theory and into execution.
Here are five key takeaways shaping the future of Medical Affairs.
1. Medical Affairs is stepping into a strategic leadership role
Medical Affairs is no longer operating at the margins of strategy. It is increasingly being brought earlier into the development process, co-leading product launches, in some situations functionally leading product launch, and influencing enterprise decision-making.
As Gemma Pfister (Senior Consulting Executive, Inizio Ignite) and Eric Wood (Head of Commercial, Transformation, Inizio Ignite) observed, teams are now “required to translate complex science into enterprise value,” reflecting a fundamental shift in expectations.
There is also a growing emphasis on engaging at a more senior level. Varun Renjen (Partner, Inizio Ignite) highlighted the importance of Medical Affairs leaders being able to “speak the pipeline, the top line and the bottom line,” reinforcing the need for commercial fluency alongside scientific expertise.
This evolution marks a turning point. Medical Affairs is not just supporting strategy, it is helping define it.
2. The shift from activity to impact is accelerating
A consistent theme throughout MAPS was the need to move beyond activity-based metrics and demonstrate real, measurable impact.
Jo Ann Saitta (Head of Data & AI, Inizio Ignite), pointed to the growing focus on “where they are moving the needle on patient impact,” with teams increasingly leveraging real-world data to demonstrate changing behaviors and value.
Importantly, this is not about proving value for the first time. As Eric Wood reflected, “medical has already reached the milestone of proving effectiveness.” The challenge now is to communicate that value more clearly and consistently across the organization.
Dean McAlister (Executive Vice President, Biotech Enterprise Solutions, Inizio Biotech) captured this shift powerfully, highlighting the importance of bringing data to life through storytelling: “we move it from hands and feet to the hearts and minds of the people involved.”
The implication is clear. Demonstrating impact is no longer optional. It is a core capability for Medical Affairs teams.
Read the full blog here.
This content was provided by Inizio
Company Details
Latest Content from Inizio
Removing the Roadblocks to Effective Patient Treatment
How can pharma benefit from improved patient understanding? Welcome to a new column in which Mary Assimakopoulos, Founding Director of pharma market research specialist the Research Partnership reveals findings from…
Driving Earlier Diagnosis: A Case Study in Psoriatic Arthritis
Following a survey of 1000 Psoriatic Arthritis patients, Mary Assimakopoulos shares some of the root causes behind a late diagnosis of this debilitating illness, and the patients’ own feelings towards…
The Difficulties of Living with Depression Don’t End with the Illness Itself
This month Mary Assimakopoulos examines some of the insights gathered while surveying 2,000 patients suffering with this often misunderstood mental illness.
Patient Power: Too Much of a Good Thing?
Mary Assimakopoulos, reveals findings from the company’s Therapy Watch market research data, investigating patient behaviour in Crohn’s Disease and discusses how pharma can benefit from improved patient understanding
Webinar: Mobile Research in Asia and Emerging Markets
Current statistics around mobile technology reveal that many physicians in Asia are now using smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices to assist them in their daily practices. In China alone,73%…
Webinar: Understanding the Patient Journey in Order to Influence Prescribing Decisions
Using real data, this webinar looks at the increasingly popular view that says we need to understand more about the patient and the relationship they have with their physicians in…
Webinar: Focus on China: Conducting Research in the World’s Fastest Growing Pharma Market
This webinar looks to provide market research professionals with an overview of the Chinese healthcare market and provide participants with top tips for conducting relevant and effective market research in…
Webinar: Prescription Rationale: Physician Research via an iPhone App
This webinar explores the potential of using smartphone Apps as a platform for collecting detailed qualitative insights into physicians’ decision rationale at the moment of prescription.
Maximising patient adherence by leveraging the patient/ physician/ pharma relationship
Director Marc Yates looks at the problem of patient compliance – can a better understanding of patient attitudes, needs and behaviours help pharma develop strategies to improve adherence?
Digital research in Asia
Director Marc Yates uses findings from a study conducted in six markets in Asia to explore how digital channels are being utilised by consumers and look at the digital opportunities…