About The Practice
The Practice Healthcare is a premier Beverly Hills surgical and aesthetic practice built around a team of nationally recognized, board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeons. Our surgeons perform a high volume of breast reconstruction, aesthetic, and reconstructive procedures, and we hold one of the most valuable assets in clinical research: a large, longitudinal patient population and the outcomes that come with it.
We are now building a formal clinical research program from the ground up — and we’re hiring the person who will build it.
The Role
This is a rare opportunity to architect an entire research program from its foundations. As Director of Clinical Research, you will turn our surgeons’ case volume into a steady, credible stream of peer-reviewed publications and national conference presentations. You’ll stand up the infrastructure (SOPs, IRB relationships, regulatory binders, data systems), establish the workflows that capture patient outcomes, and recruit and manage the research fellows who help drive the output.
This is a hands-on builder role. In the early phase you will personally do the work — IRB submissions, study design support, data extraction oversight, manuscript shepherding — while putting the systems in place to scale a team behind you. You’ll partner directly with our surgeons, who serve as Principal Investigators, and you’ll be the operational and regulatory backbone that makes their research happen.
Our near-term mission is academic output and reputation: publications in journals like Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Aesthetic Surgery Journal, and podium and poster presentations at Plastic Surgery The Meeting (ASPS) and The Aesthetic Meeting. The role is focused on plastic, reconstructive, and aesthetic research; our wellness and longevity research is a future phase.
What You’ll Build
· A functioning research program where there is currently none — workflows, standards, and a publication pipeline.
· A regulatory foundation: standard operating procedures (SOPs), an Investigator Site File / regulatory binder, CITI/GCP training across the team, and an established relationship with a commercial IRB (e.g., Advarra or WCG).
· An outcomes-capture engine: enrollment in plastic surgery registries (e.g., ASPS/PSF TOPS, NBIR) and integration of validated patient-reported outcome measures (BREAST-Q, FACE-Q, BODY-Q) into our intake workflow.
· A research fellowship: a recruited, mentored, and managed cohort of research fellows producing abstracts and manuscripts.
· A publication and presentation pipeline that consistently moves projects from idea → IRB → data → abstract → podium/poster → published manuscript.
Key Responsibilities
Program development & operations - Build and own the research program’s infrastructure, SOPs, timelines, and quality standards. - Establish and manage the relationship with our commercial IRB; own all submissions, amendments, continuing reviews, and reporting. - Set up and maintain data-capture systems (e.g., REDCap) and the regulatory binder / essential documents. - Track and report on program performance (publications, abstracts, study cycle times, fellow productivity).
Regulatory & compliance - Serve as the practice’s regulatory point person: IRB compliance, HIPAA in research, informed consent and waivers, Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP), and Common Rule / FDA frameworks as applicable. - Maintain CITI/GCP training records, delegation-of-authority logs, and investigator documentation. - Safeguard data integrity, patient privacy, and ethical conduct across every study.
Research design & execution - Partner with surgeons (PIs) to scope and prioritize studies — retrospective chart reviews, outcomes registries, prospective studies, and patient-reported outcomes research. - Lead study design, protocol writing, data collection and management, and basic biostatistical analysis (or coordinate statistical support). - Drive projects to completion on realistic timelines.
Fellow & team leadership - Recruit, onboard, mentor, and manage research fellows; assign projects and hold them to publication and presentation targets. - Build the research function into a scalable team as the program grows.
Dissemination - Shepherd manuscripts and abstracts from draft to submission for target journals and national meetings. - Manage the submission calendar, authorship coordination, and conference logistics. - Build the practice’s academic reputation and research brand.
First-Year Priorities
1. Establish the IRB relationship, core SOPs, and regulatory infrastructure.
2. Get the team CITI/GCP-trained and the practice “research-ready.”
3. Launch the first wave of retrospective chart-review and registry projects using our existing patient data.
4. Integrate validated outcome measures (BREAST-Q et al.) into clinical workflow.
5. Recruit the initial research fellow(s) and deliver the program’s first abstracts/presentations.
Who You Are
Required - Demonstrated experience personally building or running a clinical research program or function, hands-on. - Hands-on command of the research lifecycle: IRB submissions, protocol development, informed consent, data management, and GCP/regulatory compliance. - Strong scientific writing and editing skills, with a track record of contributing to peer-reviewed publications and/or conference abstracts. - Comfort working independently and building from scratch — a self-starter who thrives without an existing playbook. - The interpersonal skill to partner with busy surgeons and the leadership to mentor and manage fellows. - Meticulous attention to detail, organization, and follow-through.
(We value proven experience over specific credentials. Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree welcome but not mandatory.)
Preferred - Experience in surgical, plastic surgery, or aesthetic research specifically. - Familiarity with plastic surgery registries (TOPS, NBIR) and the Q-Portfolio outcome measures (BREAST-Q, FACE-Q, BODY-Q). - ACRP (ACRP-CP) or SOCRA (CCRP) certification — or willingness to obtain it (we’ll support certification). - Experience with REDCap or a comparable electronic data capture / CTMS system. - A network in the plastic and reconstructive surgery research community.
Why This Role
You’ll own this program from the start and shape every part of how it works. You’ll work alongside some of the most respected surgeons in the field, with an enviable volume of clinical material to study and a clear mandate to establish The Practice as a research leader. For the right person, this is a chance to build something lasting and put their name on it.
Pay: $125,000.00 - $175,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
