Dessi McEntee, MS, DABT
Fractional Chief Development Officer
A toxicologist's depth and an investor's instincts.
Partnering with Dessi McEntee ensures seamless leadership from discovery to IND submission, driving biotech success through strategic, capital-efficient drug development.
This role goes beyond advice. It means owning your nonclinical strategy end to end, orchestrating execution across your CROs and experts, authoring INDs built on defensible interpretation, and making sure every development decision holds up twice: under FDA scrutiny, and the day an investor opens your data room.
Whether your program needs IND-enabling study design, hands-on CRO leadership, dose selection and human dose projection, or the nonclinical sections of your IND, fractional leadership gives you the same ownership and accountability expected of a full-time Head of Nonclinical Development — without the full-time hire.
I’ve sat in every seat that decides your program’s fate.
Most people you'd hire have done one of these jobs. I've done them all.
The tox seat. Board-certified toxicologist (DABT), 15+ years from discovery through IND-enabling development — small molecules, biologics, nanoparticles, radiopharmaceuticals — across oncology, immunology, pain, and rare disease. Multiple programs advanced to first-in-human. Regulatory record: clean.
The Founder seat. I've built and run my own venture — raised on the strength of the science, filed the patents, wrote the SBIR application, owned the equity structure and the strategy. I know what it's like when the program is the company.
The operating seat. I don't sit back and advise. I'm boots on the ground, in the trenches to progress the molecule. I oversee strategy and execute in operations.
The cap table. I run diligence for VCs evaluating biotech deals. I know exactly what an investor pulls apart in your data room, because I'm the one they pay to pull it apart.
The boardroom. Biotech board member. I've made go/no-go calls from the governance seat — not just recommended them.
The classroom. Founder of Nonclinical Academy and author of Data Is Not Strategy. Thousands of scientists read my work every week. The whole job there is turning complex science into something anyone can follow — the same skill that gets your program funded by people who aren't scientists.
Operator, founder, evaluator, director, educator. Your program never hits a seat I haven't already sat in.
750+
nonclinical studies supported
18+
regulatory documents authored
0
clinical holds
42+
biotech clients over 6 years
Here's what winning looks like.
A safety package the FDA clears without questions. A dose selection you can defend in a pre-IND meeting. A study you run once, not twice.
That's the difference between a toxicology program that's assembled, and one that's designed. Questions answered, gaps filled, strategy solidified.
IND-defensible. Investor-fundable. Bulletproof programs.
Your Fractional Head of Nonclinical Development
Dessi McEntee, MS, DABT
Founder, Bulletproof Consulting
Author of Data Is Not Strategy
Almost everyone in biotech is one of two things: a scientist who can't speak business, or an operator who can't speak science. Dessi is both, at a level that unsettles people who meet her expecting one or the other. She can run a tox program and pitch an investor on the same afternoon — and tell a founder, to their face, exactly why their science and their raise are the same problem.
That's what makes her lethal as a fractional Head of Nonclinical Development. She doesn't hand founders a report and leave. She owns the safety program and runs it, candidate to IND. She's done it for multiple early-stage companies, and she does it as an outsider who built her own name rather than inheriting a title inside someone else's.
This isn't a big firm with your program buried three layers down. It's Dessi, embedded — the only person on your account. She designs the IND-enabling studies, runs the CROs, defends the dose selection, and writes the nonclinical sections that hold up under FDA review and investor diligence. One expert. No handoffs. Candidate to clinic, faster than you thought possible.
Testimonials
"I have worked closely with Dessi for many years, both at small molecule and protein biologics companies. What has impressed me the most about her skill sets and experiences is that she is very diligent in not only designing the studies, executing them to the highest standards but she also makes a concerted effort to understand the science behind the programs she has been involved with.
In an area that seems to be changing in the requirements for nonclinical safety and drug development, Dessi is extremely up-to-date on this morphing landscape. This has been comforting for me and my teams in that we know that she will ensure compliance with the changing times.
Even after our times together at the same organizations I continue to reach out and recommend Dessi as my go-to nonclinical colleague. Besides her immense knowledge base in the areas of safety and nonclinical drug development, Dessi is one of the kindest, hard-working individuals I know and would be a benefit to any organization/team. I have worked with Dessi for years and look forward to continuing any opportunity where we can work together again."
Principal Consultant, TranslationalBio LLC
"I was fortunate to work with Dessi while she consulted for a couple of pre-clinical, small molecule programs. She was able to succinctly summarize recommendations for studies that aligned with company budget and R&D needs to progress the programs. She was also able to adjust studies, plans and work with vendors to make immediate adjustments if plans changed, which is critical for start-ups. She interfaced with other consultants and CROs to ensure a seamless execution of planned studies, and was always a pleasure to work with."
Director, Business Development
"Ringing endorsement right here! Dessi has brought clarity, strong project management, and adherence to timeline, with a clear set of deliverables expectations. But what sets her apart is early and highly contextualized understanding of the program, the study, and the analysis."
VP, Strategic Programs
"It was a pleasure to work with Dessi both as a colleague and manager. Dessi is among the most innovative scientists I’ve known, with broad expertise in molecular techniques, drug discovery, toxicology, SEND datasets, and mechanisms of drug toxicity. She consistently delivered high-quality, well-reviewed data and was instrumental in interpreting results to advance projects.
Dessi’s collaborative approach, reliability, and exceptional time management truly set her apart. She’s an excellent communicator, a quick learner, and a thoughtful leader, blending technical, scientific, business, and interpersonal skills seamlessly. As a manager, she is supportive, fair, and a strong mentor. I highly recommend Dessi as an invaluable leader for any organization."
VP, Head of Toxicology
"I was in the early stages of a GLP tox study for a drug compound I was developing. Dessi was recommended by a friend as a Toxicology consultant. My team had an initial meeting with Dessi and we found her to have an extensive amount of experience in running toxicology studies and she came across as being technically very strong, a good communicator good teamworking skills and gave us a sense that each project she works on she is personally invested in it.
We hired her immediately and found that our initial assessment of her was spot on. Upon starting she immediately reviewed the study protocol and made suggestions to improve the study and study sites to consider which in turn helped us reduce costs. She helped us select a site and worked with the site study director to get the study up and running in no time at all. She maintained constant contact with the study director during the in-life portion of the study to ensure that the study was done properly and stayed on schedule. She also worked closely with the study director to ensure that all planned analysis was done in a timely manner and a high-quality final report was generated.
Overall, we could not have been happier with the guidance and work that Dessi gave us and I highly recommend her to anyone that asks me if I know a great toxicology consultant."
CEO, Biotech
"Dessi is an excellent toxicologist who provides useful and practical guidance related to the development of both large and small molecules. Her extensive knowledge base of compound characteristics, study design and in vivo observations allows her to provide perspective on both how to design toxicology studies and how to interpret the results.
I particularly appreciate her ability to separate “signals” from “noise” allowing companies to determine whether the findings will impact development, whether additional studies are warranted and what a path forward might look like. Her pragmatism is invaluable in executing a successful toxicology program. I highly recommend Dessi to any company needing toxicology input."
Biotech CEO
"We have had the pleasure of collaborating with Dessi on several projects spanning multiple therapeutic indications, and her contributions have been consistently outstanding. As a toxicologist, Dessi delivers thorough, well-reasoned insights that not only answer our questions but also provide a clear scientific rationale behind each recommendation.
Her ability to respond quickly and comprehensively has been invaluable to our work, enabling informed decision-making across a diverse portfolio of early drug discovery programs. Dessi’s expertise and professionalism make her an exceptional partner, and we deeply appreciate the clarity and depth she brings to every engagement.
As an Academic Drug Discovery Accelerator supporting projects globally, we rely on collaborators who combine scientific rigor with responsiveness — and Dessi exemplifies exactly that.”
Director, Drug Discovery and Development
If you want your drug to get to the clinic...
Email me at dessi@bulletproofconsulting.llc
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