[3] Peckham was born in London, the daughter of Alexander King, and spent her early years in the USA.
As a clinical epidemiologist Peckham is best known for her work on infections in pregnancy, particularly rubella, cytomegalovirus[5] and HIV, and their impact on the fetus and developing child.
[7][8] In 1986 she founded the multi-centre European Collaborative Study (ECS) on HIV in mothers and children with Carlo Giaquinto.
[15] From 2005 to 2007 she chaired the Scientific Coordinating Group for the Government's Foresight Programme on the Future Challenge of infectious Diseases.
[16] Peckham has been closely involved in national birth cohort studies[17] and the influence of biological, social and environmental factors in early life on later development has been a central theme in her work.