Dr. Peter Santa Maria is a surgeon scientist born and raised in Perth, Australia subspecializing in disorders affecting hearing, balance and the facial nerve. Along with his role as Director of SPARK Global, he co-leads the CREATES Lab and is Chair Emeritus of the American Academy of Otolaryngology's Medical Device and Drugs Committee. He recently joined the team at UPMC as Division Chief of Otology & Neurotology and Vice Chair of Clinical and Translational Research, moving from Stanford University.
Scientifically, Dr. Santa Maria completed his PhD in tympanic membrane (ear drum) wound healing at The University of Western Australia (2012). His tympanic regenerative discovery was accelerated through the SPARK program at Stanford, winning the "Excellence in Stanford SPARK 2014" award, later partnering with Auration Biotech and Astellas pharmaceuticals, to launch clinical trials in 2020. His research includes new devices and therapies for hearing loss. Dr. Santa Maria co-invented several medical devices and therapeutics that are in development. Two have won the "Robert Howard Next Step Award in Medical Technology Innovation." He is actively part of device research teams testing new devices that can monitor dizzy attacks in the home, non invasive ways to treat otitis media with effusion and ways to restore hearing without implanting the inner ear. His lab has discovered new antimicrobial therapeutics that act on the most resistant bacterial infections.
Clinically, Dr Santa Maria encompasses all areas of adult and pediatric surgery for hearing, balance and facial nerve disorders. He manages all areas of neurotology, including cholesteatoma, chronic otitis media, ear drum perforations and hearing reconstruction, otosclerosis and stapes surgery, eustachian tube surgery, tumors of the ear and skull base including acoustic neuroma, schwannoma, meningioma, glomus tumors, cholesterol granuloma, CSF leaks and squamous cell cancer of the ear as well as hearing implants, including cochlear implants (especially hearing preservation surgery), and bone anchored hearing aids.
- Instructorship, Stanford University, Otology, Neurotology, Skull Base Surgery
- Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Western Australia, Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery Fellow
- Royal Australian College of Surgeons, Residency
- Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Residency
- Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Internship
- The Royal Australian College of Surgeons, Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Residency / FRACS,
- University of Western Australia, PhD, in tympanic membrane wound healing
- University of Western Australia, MBBS
Education & Training
Dr. Santa Maria's clinical practice and research are leading the path forward for innovating better treatments for hearing loss. His lab discovered a tympanic membrane regenerative therapy and completed pre-clinical work that has led to ongoing clinical trials. They now are focused on the most challenging chronic ear infections developing therapies that minimize antibiotic resistance and use personalized techniques to target the route cause bacteria. His lab is also investigating novel treatments for inner ear disease including autoimmune inner ear disease and noise induced hearing loss. Dr. Santa Maria is a leader in the field particularly having authored book chapters and published papers focusing on hearing preservation in cochlear implant surgery, surgical and treatments of ear tumors including vestibular schwannomas (acoustic neuromas), novel management of difficult to treat chronic ear infections and cholesteatoma and CSF leak repair.
Current funding
NIH NIDCD R01 The role of macrophages in chronic suppurative otitis media associated sensory hearing loss Principal Investigator Dec 2021-Dec 2026
Prior Funding
Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute - Transdisciplinary Initiative Co-Principal Investigator (Santa Maria / Cegelski) Investigating the potential of quorum sensing molecules, produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, to produce sensory hearing loss in chronic suppurative otitis media Jul 2022-2024
The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (United Kingdom) To conduct pre-clinical work investigating a nanomedicine approach for chronic suppurative otitis media Apr 2021-Mar 2024
Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute Faculty Scholar Principal Investigator Sensory hearing loss in chronic suppurative otitis media Sep 2020- Sep 2024
Stanford Spectrum Grant Co-Principal Investigator The Wearable ENG: A Dizzy Attack Event Monitor Jun 2023- Jun 2024
Stanford Coulter Translational Grant Co-Principal Investigator The Wearable ENG: A Dizzy Attack Event Monitor May 2023- May 2024
NIH NIDCD R41 Co-Principal Investigator Synthetic Antimicrobial Peptoids for Treatment of chronic suppurative otitis media Sep 2021- Aug 2022
NIH NIAID R21 Principal Investigator Nanoparticle adjuvant for chronic suppurative otitis media Jul 2020- Jul 2022
Stanford Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute: Translate Grant Co-Principal Investigator Development of an Extracochlear Neurostimulation Device to Restore Hearing May 2021- May 2023
Stanford Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute: Translate Grant Co-Principal Investigator The Wearable ENG: A Dizzy Attack Event Monitor May 2020- May 2022
NIH NIDCR R41 Co-Principal Investigator HB-EGF for oral aphthous ulcers disease Sep 2021- Feb 2022
Center for Dental, Oral & Craniofacial Tissue and Organ Regeneration, Interdisciplinary Translational U24 DE026914 (National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research) Project Program Principal Investigator HB-EGF for oral mucositis post radiation Jun 2018-Jan 2021
Stanford SPADA / Spectrum seed grant Co-Principal Investigator The Wearable ENG: A Dizzy Attack Event Monitor May 2020- May 2021
Stanford-Coulter Translational Research Grant Co-Principal Investigator Targeted Local Drug Delivery for Chronic Rhinosinusitis May 2019- May 2021
Stanford-Coulter Translational Research Grant Co-Principal Investigator A device for treating otitis media with effusion in children May 2019- May 2021
Stanford SPARK / Stanford Child Health Research Institute – Translational Research Grant Co- Investigator Synthetic antimicrobial peptoids for chronic suppurative otitis media Jan 2019- Jan 2021
Stanford SPARK / Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute – Translational Research Grant Co- Investigator Nanoparticle adjuvant for chronic suppurative otitis media Jan 2019- Jan 2021
Action on Hearing Loss – Pilot Research Grant Principal Investigator Animal models for chronic suppurative otitis media 2017
Stanford SPARK / Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute – Translational Research Grant Co-Principal Investigator HB-EGF for prevention of secondary post tonsillectomy bleeding 2017-2018
Stanford SPARK / Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute – Translational Research Grant Principal Investigator – Preclinical work concluding, product licensed HB-EGF for tympanic membrane regeneration 2014-2016
Stanford SPECTRUM – Innovation Accelerator Seed Grant Award Principal Investigator – Clinical trial completed An investigational device for maintaining perioperative normothermia 2014-2015
Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Memorial Foundation Principal Surgeon Scientist Award Principal Investigator 2012-2016
Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Memorial Foundation Surgeon Scientist Award Principal Investigator 2006-2008
William Allnutt & May G Saw Medical Research Scholarship Principal Investigator 2005