Catherine Peckham

Catherine Peckham CBE,^[1] MD, FMedSci, FRCP, FRCPath, FRCOG, FRCPCH, FFPHM, is a doctor and scientist. She was born in London, spent her early years in the US and she was educated at St Paul's Girls' School^[2] and University College London. She is married to Sir Michael Peckham and is the daughter of Alexander King.

Catherine Peckham was the first Professor of Paediatric Epidemiology in the UK, and established the Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the UCL Institute of Child Health, University College London.^[3][4] The Peckham Lecture is given each year at the Institute of Child Health.^[5]

Medical career

As a clinical epidemiologist she 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]

She 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]

Awards and Honours

• 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

National and International Positions

• 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

References

1. "Prof Catherine Peckham, CBE Authorised Biography – Debrett's People of Today, Prof Catherine Peckham, CBE Profile". Debretts.com. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
2. "St Paul's Girls' | Senior Only Girls Independent School | London - Inner (London postal codes)". Guide to Independent Schools. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
3. "catherine-peckham". Ucl.ac.uk. 2004-10-14. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
4. (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ich/research-ich/mrc-cech/about-us/history
5. The Peckham Lecture http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ich/research-ich/mrc-cech/MRCCECH-news/peckham-lecture-2011
6. "Cytomegalovirus Infection In Pregnancy: Preliminary Findings From A Prospective Study". The Lancet. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
7. Catherine S. Peckham (1972-08-01). "Clinical and Laboratory Study of Children Exposed in utero to Maternal Rubella - Peckham 47 (254): 571 - Archives of Disease in Childhood". Adc.bmj.com. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
8. "Surveillance of congenital rubella in Great Britain, 1971-96". BMJ. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
9. "NSHPC Home Page". Nshpc.ucl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
10. "CV Dr. Carlo Giaquinto". Medkeik.info. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
11. Original TextThe European Collaborative Study 1. "Mother-To-Child Transmission Of Hiv Infection". The Lancet. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
12. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199508033330507
13. "HIV: European Collaborative Study on HIV-infected pregnant women and their children". Ucl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
14. "Antenatal Testing For Human Immunodeficiency Virus". The Lancet. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
15. The Peckham Report
16. http://www.rcpch.ac.uk/bpsu
17. Foresight. Infectious Diseases: preparing for the future. Executive Summary.Office of Science and Innovation, London, 2006. http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/bispartners/foresight/docs/infectious-diseases/e1_id_executive_summary.pdf
18. "A national study of child development (NCDS 1958 cohort). Preliminary findings in a national sample of 11-year-old children". Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. 2012-05-24. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
19. "Understanding science: 12: Human Reproduction: Selecting for Life: Scientific Basis and Policy Implications". Cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
20. "Board Members". ViiV Healthcare. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
21. Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Lords, Westminster. "Lords Hansard text for 6 Nov 200606 Nov 2006 (pt 0002)". Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
22. http://www.pistes.fr/transcriptasesud/6_113.htm
23. "Research in developing countries - About the Working Party | Nuffield Council on Bioethics". Nuffieldbioethics.org. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
24. "Medical Research Council - Document library". Mrc.ac.uk. 2004-11-18. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
25. "Termination of Pregnancy for Fetal Abnormality in England, Scotland and Wales | Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists". Rcog.org.uk. 2010-06-25. Retrieved 2012-07-28.