From nurse to CEo, Jessica built one of South Florida’s most trusted clinical research networks, proving that vision, integrity, and execution can change an entire industry.
Jessica is a clinical research executive and registered nurse with more than 16 years of experience in the life sciences industry. Today she leads one of South Florida’s established independent clinical research organizations, but her path to the top began on the floor, not in the boardroom.
After starting out as a research coordinator, she advanced quickly into leadership roles, building deep expertise in site operations, regulatory compliance, and the successful execution of complex clinical trials. That early, hands-on understanding of how trials actually run would later become the foundation of everything she built. Her journey is a testament to vision, discipline, and execution, transforming a $100K initial investment into a multimillion-dollar clinical research enterprise.
As Founder and CEo of Altus Clinical Research, she has built a high-performing organization known for its operational excellence, regulatory integrity, and commitment to advancing the future of medicine. What began as a $100K investment and a bold vision has grown into a clinical research powerhouse generating approximately $3 million in annual revenue, with an EBITDA of nearly $2 million. In an industry where independent sites often struggle to compete with large networks, those numbers reflect something rare: disciplined growth built on reputation rather than scale alone.
Under her leadership, Altus has expanded its capabilities across a wide range of therapeutic areas, including neurology, infectious disease, women’s health, and internal medicine, supporting Phase I through IV trials for leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology sponsors. The company partners with these sponsors to bring innovative therapies to market safely and efficiently, serving as a trusted execution partner at every stage of the development pipeline.
Jessica believes clinical research is more than data. It is about people, purpose, and progress, and that belief drives every decision at Altus. It also shows up in how she runs the business. Her leadership is rooted in a people-first philosophy. Jessica has built and mentored a team of more than 14 professionals, fostered a culture of excellence, and created systems that drive consistency, quality, and growth. Her hands-on approach and clinical expertise as a registered nurse allow her to bridge the gap between science, operations, and patient care, a combination few executives in the space can claim.
operational excellence is at the core of everything Altus does, and the company has the record to prove it. It has successfully passed multiple FDA inspections with no findings, a testament to its rigorous quality systems, meticulous documentation, and unwavering commitment to GCP compliance. For sponsors weighing where to place high-stakes trials, that kind of regulatory track record is not a marketing line. It is the difference between a study that moves forward and one that stalls.
Inside the company, she has built a culture where accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement thrive. Her leadership style is hands-on and empowering. Jessica leads by example, invests in her team, and ensures every study is executed with the highest standards of ethics and quality. The result is an organization that does not depend on any single person, but on systems and people designed to perform under pressure.
Community impact is also a key part of the Altus mission. Through participation in local health initiatives and patient education efforts, the company works to make clinical research more accessible and to give back to the communities it serves.
For its founder, expanding access is not separate from the business. It is part of why the business exists.
With more than 16 years of experience and a proven track record of navigating complex regulations and delivering results, she continues to raise the standard for independent clinical research in South Florida and beyond. Her mission, she says, is simple: to transform lives through research while building a legacy of impact, innovation, and empowerment for the next generation of leaders.
From a single down payment to a thriving enterprise, her story is proof that in an industry built on precision and trust, the most powerful asset is still a clinician who refuses to compromise on either.
Business: Altus Clinical Research
Contact Name: Jessica Ravelo
Contact Email: jessica@altusresearch.com
Website URL: www.altusresearch.com
Country: United States
