Posit at PharmaSUG 2026
Event date is -
Open Source, AI, and the Future of Clinical Data Science
The pharmaceutical industry is rapidly evolving, and so are the tools driving it. Whether you're scaling R and Python across clinical workflows, integrating AI assistants into your SAS environment, or building toward open, reproducible submissions, Posit is here to help you navigate what's next.
Join us May 31 - June 3 in Boston to connect with the Posit team, see live demos of our latest tooling, and learn how leading pharmaceutical organizations are modernizing clinical data science with open source and GenAI.
KEYNOTE
Posit’s CEO opens PharmaSUG 2026
Tareef Kawaf on responsible GenAI in life sciences.
Between Hype and Reality: Posit's Blueprint for Responsible GenAI in Life Sciences Presented by Tareef Kawaf, CEO, Posit
Monday, June 1 | 8:30 – 9:30 AM | Momentum Ballroom ABC
AI promises both unprecedented innovation and a fundamental shift in how we work. In pharmaceutical and clinical development, that promise comes with non-negotiable requirements: safety, validation, and traceability.
In this opening keynote, Posit CEO Tareef Kawaf will walk through the journey we've taken with GenAI. From a starting position of total skepticism to a disciplined approach now in use at leading life sciences organizations, he'll address the three questions every team should be asking:
- How can life sciences and pharmaceutical companies adopt GenAI responsibly?
- What must be true for that to work?
- How do we build the right checks and balances for quality, validation, and reproducibility?
No predictions about the future. Just what we've learned about GenAI in regulated data science, and the adoption patterns we're seeing from our customers.
PRE-CONFERENCE TRAINING SEMINAR
A hands-on deep dive into AI for statistical programming
Spend Sunday morning with Phil Bowsher exploring Positron, AI-assisted R workflows, and the pharmaverse.
RStudio & Positron: Advancements in AI for Statistical Programming Presented by Phil Bowsher, Posit
Sunday, May 31 | 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM (separate registration fee)
AI innovation for programming is changing quickly. This four-hour workshop explores AI for statistical programming across IDEs, packages, Shiny, and AI orchestration. Whether you're a statistical programmer learning R, an R programmer learning AI, or an AI sage building agents, this session has something for you.
You'll get hands-on insights using R for clinical workflows, including:
- Working in Positron, the next-generation IDE — plus tricks for RStudio users
- Integrating AI with Shiny in both R and Python
- Applying AI tooling to ADaM data and TLG creation
- Practical examples to bring back to your own environment
Register for the training seminar
TALKS AND HANDS-ON TRAINING
Catch the Posit team on stage all week
Five paper presentations and a hands-on training covering MCP for SAS, agentic R, voice-driven data science, AWS Bedrock integration, open source in NDAs, and AI tooling in clinical reporting.
AI-123 | Building a Model Context Protocol Server for AI-Driven Workflow Automation | Presented by Samiul Haque, Posit AI in Pharma, Biotech and Clinical Data Science track
Discover sastool-mcp, a lightweight Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables clinical programmers and statisticians to interact with SAS Viya through AI assistants such as Claude Desktop and GitHub Copilot. Built using FastMCP and SASPy, this implementation exposes SAS capabilities as MCP tools — allowing AI systems to execute SAS programs, inspect libraries, debug errors, and iteratively refine code in real time.
You'll leave with a practical, extensible design pattern your team can reuse to build your own MCP servers, integrating SAS with AI safely within enterprise environments while preserving control, auditability, and compliance.
AI-164 | Agentic R in Clinical Trials: Empowering Statistical Programmers with Open Source LLM Packages & Positron Tools | Presented by Phil Bowsher, Posit AI in Pharma, Biotech and Clinical Data Science track
A tour of the new generation of open-source R packages: chores, predictive, btw, gander, mcptools, and more, driving R-LLM interfacing. We'll demonstrate Positron Assistant and Databot, and show how MCP-driven governance helps teams accelerate LLM innovation while keeping R-centric workflows ready for GxP-regulated development.
DV-165 | Voice-driven Data Science: Real-Time Data Analysis with R | Presented by Phil Bowsher, Posit Data Visualization & Interactive Analytics track
A look at shinyrealtime, an open-source package that integrates OpenAI's Realtime API with Shiny (R and Python) to enable conversational analysis. See how statistical programmers can interact with datasets, generate visualizations, and execute queries using natural speech — and how to architect and deploy voice interfaces for pharma-relevant workflows.
ET-162 | Accelerating Open-Source AI with AWS Bedrock: Architecting LLM Integration with Posit Workbench & Positron | Presented by Phil Bowsher, Posit Emerging Technologies track
Walk through integrating enterprise-grade AI into Posit Workbench and connecting Positron to AWS Bedrock. We'll cover practical applications for clinical reporting LLM pipelines and show how Positron AI tools like Databot and the Assistant support human-in-the-loop workflows in regulated environments.
ET-163 | Current Review of Open Source in New Drug Applications: R & Python | Presented by Phil Bowsher, Posit Emerging Technologies track
A current look at R, Python, and Julia in regulatory submissions. We'll review public new drug applications and discuss where open source is being used across submission components — and how a polyglot open-source strategy is reshaping clinical trial analysis and driving new innovations.
Hands-On Training: Introduction to Positron & AI Tooling in Clinical Reporting | Presented by Phil Bowsher, Posit
A hands-on session on using AI to enhance open-source statistical programming and clinical reporting. Explore GenAI applications in Positron, test built-in integrations live, and see how AI can support programmers in writing R code for clinical workflows. Held in the Contemporary room — see the conference app for the time slot.
VIEW THE FULL AGENDA
VISIT US AT BOOTH #315
Stop by and meet the Posit team
Whether you code in R, Python, or SAS, we want to hear what you're building, and show you what's new.
Drop by Booth #315 in the exhibit hall to:
- See live demos of Positron, our next-generation IDE built for polyglot data science
- Explore Posit Connect, Posit Workbench, and Package Manager for enterprise clinical environments
- Talk through your team's transition to R-based submissions, Shiny safety monitoring apps, or AI-assisted programming
- Pick up Posit swag and connect with the broader open-source clinical community
On-site from Posit:
- Phil Bowsher
- Amanda Ballard
- Vanessa Patten
- Samiul Haque
RESOURCES
Essential resources for clinical programmers
Curated insights, playbooks, and tooling for the PharmaSUG community.
Event begins on