Peter J. DeMaria, M.D., is a board-certified medical oncologist at Baptist Health and speaks fluent English and Spanish.Prior to joining Baptist Health in 2023, Dr. DeMaria served as medical officer with the Office of Oncologic Diseases at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr. DeMaria earned his medical degree from University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He then completed residency training in internal medicine and a clinical fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. He then joined the federal government as a clinical fellow with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and completed training in hematology and oncology through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Intramural Research Program (Bethesda, MD). He completed further fellowship training in cancer drug development with the NCI-FDA Interagency Oncology Task Force (Silver Spring, MD), a joint fellowship program with the NCI, NIH and FDA.At Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute, Dr. DeMaria is responsible for developing and overseeing a portfolio of clinical studies of novel cancer therapies that are in the early stages of development.As a Miami native, he is excited to be part of a program at Baptist Health that provides additional local options for cancer patients in South Florida who have exhausted standard-of-care treatment and want to participate in clinical trials of investigational cancer therapies.Dr. DeMaria believes that while clinical trials are designed to answer important questions in the development of new cancer therapies, they provide hope to patients with limited available treatment options. As a cancer physician, he values the vital role he is afforded as a communicator, educator and guide during a difficult and challenging time in the lives of his patients and their families.In his free time, Dr. DeMaria enjoys outdoor activities such as biking, boating, skiing and traveling to experience new places and people.