Nicole Villemarette-Pittman, PhD
I build clinical research programs that expand patient access, grow revenue, and strengthen health systems.
Clinical research executive and applied biopsychologist. Twenty years building research programs in academic medicine and a multi-state health system with expertise in trial operations and infrastructure, workforce development, strategic partnerships, and innovation.
Start a conversation The role I’m looking for Download my Abbreviated CV
- 4×
- growth in neuroscience early-phase trials
- 175
- research staff supported
- 550
- active clinical trials annually
- 10,000+
- study participants served annually
01 What sets me apart
I understand the natural tension between clinical operations and investment in research, and I know how to navigate it.
Two decades working alongside physician investigators and clinical operations reinforced the synergy needed to distinguish programs and build destination care centers.
Research is a differentiator for destination care centers. I will work to integrate research into clinical strategies to set your institution apart from the rest.
02 The role
The role I’m looking for
Seeking an executive role to build or transform a clinical research, neuroscience, or clinical innovation enterprise into a nationally visible platform.
In collaboration with your organization’s leaders, I will:
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Diversify research revenue
Grow industry, commercial, philanthropic, and strategic partnerships so the portfolio is flexible, sustainable, and resistant to market fluctuations.
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Build a talent pipeline
Train the research workforce you need rather than just compete for it. Improve competence and confidence while reducing turnover.
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Integrate research into clinical care
Make clinical trials part of patient care, so access to emerging therapies becomes a reason patients choose you.
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Foster employee innovation
Give physicians and staff a real path from an idea to an evaluated, formalized, supported product.
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Build engaged teams
Teams empowered to continuously improve the research and healthcare ecosystem.
Partner with me to use research to become a regional or national leader in emerging therapies.
03 Leadership, partnership, innovation
At Ochsner Health, I led a systemwide clinical research operations team of 175 direct and indirect reports supporting over 10,000 study participants in 550 trials annually. I established new research infrastructure and increased trial capacity at regional multispecialty sites, built a systemwide talent pipeline, and helped a small innovation team become a system resource. In partnership with clinical operations, we created an integrated research and clinical care model that positions Neurosciences as a destination center for emerging therapies. Before Ochsner, I led neurology research at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans and served as GME faculty, giving me over 20 years of research experience from both the academic and health-system sides.
Revenue and profit grew under my leadership - Cardiology and Neurosciences experienced a 50%+ increase in revenue within 12 months.
Turnover and unfilled positions decreased - 83% of internship graduates placed into a research role.
Regional capacity grew - 40% more investigators over 2 years.
Access to emerging therapies expanded - Neurosciences achieved a 4-fold jump in early phase trials.
| Role | What I did |
|---|---|
| Recent key leadership roles | |
| Director, Clinical Research | Led strategy, finance, infrastructure, and operations for 7 teams and 6 research cost centers (each generating $500k to $2.5M in revenue) conducting 150 trials annually. Turned margins from negative to positive within 12 months: Cardiology revenue up 54% and margin up $52k; Neurosciences revenue up 51% and margin up $254k. Positioned the Lafayette Clinical Trial Unit to open Q4 2026 and Baton Rouge for a Center of Excellence designation. |
| Director, Clinical Research Internship | Created a paid, full-time, ACRP competency-based research internship in response to rising research turnover and unfilled positions. Scaled the program into a systemwide talent pipeline: 83% of graduates placed; 67% still employed at one year. |
| Leadership + internal partnerships | |
| Lead, Multidisciplinary Cellular Therapies Research Team | Led the multidisciplinary cell and gene therapy research team, recruiting research nurses and coordinators from 4 subspecialties to partner with more than a dozen clinical teams to bring new cellular therapies to patients. |
| External partnerships | |
| Vendor relationships | Co-developed protocols with dozens of industry and commercial partners on clinical questions, health economic outcomes, and AI tools built for clinical settings. |
| Strategic relationships | Brought external partners into clinical care to widened patient access to emerging therapies, and leave behind sustainable, scalable infrastructure with a return well beyond any single project. |
| Partnerships that support innovation | |
| Healthcare partner to start-ups | With an internal ventures team, local start-up organizations, and individual companies, evaluated new healthcare products for feasibility, adoptability, utility, clinical efficacy, and economics. |
| Supporting clinical innovators | Served on an internal team that registers, evaluates, formalizes, and supports tools, products, and concepts created by faculty and staff. |
04 Contact
Nicole Villemarette-Pittman, PhD
Clinical Research Executive
Applied Biopsychologist
Greater New Orleans
Hiring leaders, boards, and search partners: tell me about the role and the organization. Download my Abbreviated CV. A full CV is available on request, and I answer my own mail.