Catherine Peckham

Peckham was born in London, the daughter of Alexander King, and spent her early years in the USA. She was educated at St Paul's Girls' School[5] and at University College London. She was married to Sir Michael Peckham.

As a clinical epidemiologist Peckham is best known for her work on infections in pregnancy, particularly rubella, cytomegalovirus[6] and HIV, and their impact on the fetus and developing child. She showed that rubella damage caused by exposure to maternal infection during pregnancy could continue after birth.[7] She worked on the early rubella vaccine trials and was instrumental in setting up the National Congenital Rubella Surveillance Programme.[8][9]

In 1986 she founded the multi-centre European Collaborative Study (ECS) on HIV in mothers and children with Carlo Giaquinto.[10][11][12][13] She was instrumental in establishing the national surveillance of HIV infection in pregnancy and childhood.[14] Her study of vaccination for infectious diseases in childhood was published by Action Research as the Peckham Report in 1989.[15] In 1986 she co-founded the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit.[16] From 2005 to 2007 she chaired the Scientific Coordinating Group for the Government's Foresight Programme on the Future Challenge of infectious Diseases.[17]

Peckham has been closely involved in national birth cohort studies[18] and the influence of biological, social and environmental factors in early life on later development has been a central theme in her work.[19]

• CBE for services to child health, 1998
• Harding Award for the prevention of child disability, 1993
• 20th Anniversary Award for Leadership in HIV Child Care, Terence Higgins Trust, 2002
• James Spence Medal, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2003
• Founder Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, 1998

• Chair, Positive Action for Children Fund, 2010–[20]
• Chair, Medical Research Council Review of Gulf War Related Illness[21]
• Vice-President of Fonds de Solidarite Therapeutique Internationale 1998–2000[22]
• Chair, WHO Epidemiological Research and Forecasting, Global Programme on Aids, 1991–94
• Member then vice-chair, Nuffield Council on Bioethics, 1999–2006[23]
• Chair, Medical Research Council Human Fertilization and Embryology Working Group on children conceived by Assisted Reproduction, 2004[24]
• Chair, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' Working Party on Termination of Pregnancy for Fetal Abnormality (2008/9)[25]
• US-UK Fulbright Commissioner, Fulbright Commission 1986–1994)
• non-executive director, Advertising Standards Authority 1993–1999
• Vice-Chair, Board of Governors St Paul's Girls' School London, 1993–2006
• Governor of St Paul's School
• Member of Council, Institute of Education 1999–2007

• Catherine Peckham on the History of Modern Biomedicine Research Group website