Daniel G. Petereit MD, FASTRO

Dr. Daniel Petereit is a radiation oncologist in Rapid City, SD, and is the PI of of the Walking Forward (WF) Cancer Disparity Program which has been funded by the NCI since 2002. The goal of the program is to lower cancer mortality rates for Northern Plains American Indians (AIs) through patient navigation, clinical trial access, and identification of barriers to early detection and successful treatment. Published critical outcomes include establishment of trust within tribal communities, identification of barriers to cancer screenings, creation of research infrastructure, clinical-trial enrollment of 4,500 AIs (the highest in the nation) and higher completion-of-treatment and patient-satisfaction rates for patients undergoing cancer therapies. WF recently completed a RCT testing multiple interventions for smoking cessation. In 2018 a lung cancer screening program for high risk smokers was initiated to increase the utilization of LDCTs. A palliative care project was recently initiated on the reservations to address the lack of palliative care.
Dr. Petereit has received national recognition for his expertise in brachytherapy, cancer disparities, and clinical trials. He has had leadership roles for American Board of Radiology (ABR), the American Society for Radiation (ASTRO), many cooperative groups, and is the past president and current chair of the American Brachytherapy Society (ABS). He is leading a national ABS initiative, 300 in 10, where the goal is to train 30 competent brachytherapy teams per year over the next 10 years through a multifaceted approach. He has published over 115 articles in peer reviewed journals and has received 15 million dollars in research funding.