Lori McDermott

Lori McDermott is a driven and passionate clinical operations and drug development executive with 25 years of industry experience. Ms. McDermott is the founder and President of SME Clinical Consulting, a company providing Subject Matter Expertise (SME) to emerging biotech/biopharma companies developing assets in the field of oncology. She has successfully overseen submission and clearance of multiple oncology INDs, with none resulting in clinical hold, and managed first-in-human/early phase oncology studies and regulatory activities supporting FDA Fast Track and Orphan Drug designation.

Most recently, Ms. McDermott held the position of Chief Operating Officer of LumaBridge, a growing and cutting-edge Clinical Research Organization specializing in the conduct and execution of clinical trials in oncology. In this role, she led the workforce and business strategies to support growth and profitability of the company while engaging with biotech and pharmaceutical clients to deliver their drug development programs. Her success in this role resulted in a majority share investment by a life-science focused, private equity firm, Summit Partners.

Before joining LumaBridge, Ms. McDermott held the position of Vice President of Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs at Heat Biologics and Pelican Therapeutics (a CPRIT Product Development Grant Awardee), where she was responsible for building out a full clinical operations department to drive forward the development of 4 novel oncology assets. In the years preceding her work there, Ms. McDermott held Director and Management roles across biotech, pharma, and CRO settings and developed expertise in creating and leading high performing teams.

Ms. McDermott began her career in the hospital, providing bedside care as a registered nurse before transitioning into the clinical research industry. Ms. McDermott is PMP® certified and holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Neumann College as well as a Master of Science from Drexel University School of Medicine.