Dr. Ira Isaacson is a consultant with Spencer Stuart and is based in the firm’s Atlanta office. He is a member of the firm’s global Life Sciences Practice and leads the firm's biopharmaceutical R&D Practice. Ira has extensive executive search and consulting experience in the areas of physician/scientist leadership for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and academic healthcare and research institutions.
Prior to joining Spencer Stuart in 2000, Ira was a principal with another leading international executive search and management consulting firm, where he served as a core member of the global life sciences practice.
Before entering the search profession, Ira was the associate clinic director and chief operating officer of The Emory Clinic in Atlanta. As chief operating officer, he was responsible for general operations, strategic planning and practice management for 2,800 employees, including 800 physicians. Ira also was a professor of anesthesiology at the Emory University School of Medicine, where, from 1980 to 1994, he practiced medicine, conducted clinical research and mentored graduate physicians and students.
Ira is a graduate of The Chicago Medical School. He served his residency at Northwestern University and his fellowship at The Harvard Medical School. He earned his M.B.A. from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. In his academic career, Ira authored numerous papers and book chapters and was an invited lecturer internationally on a wide variety of clinical and healthcare management subjects. He also served as a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry for product development and marketing.