Born on September 28, 1933, in New
Britain, Conn., William A. Peck,
MD, attended public elementary and junior high schools, the George School
(1947-1951) and Harvard
College (1951-1955),
graduating cum laude in biochemical sciences and earning a John Harvard
Scholarship. Peck graduated from the University of Rochester School of Medicine
(MD 1960), was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha and received the Doran J. Stephens
and C.V. Mosby Awards, completed two years of residency (internal medicine) and
one year of fellowship (metabolism) at Barnes Hospital (1960-1963) and served
for 2 years as a clinical associate at the National Institutes of Health
(arthritis and metabolic diseases). Peck returned to the University
of Rochester (Strong Memorial
Hospital) as chief
medical resident and subsequently held appointments as assistant professor,
associate professor and professor of medicine and biochemistry, and head of the
Division of Endocrinology.
In 1976, he was appointed the John E. and Adaline Simon Professor of Medicine at Washington University and physician-in-chief at the Jewish Hospital of St. Louis.
From 1989 to 2003, Peck served as dean of Washington University School of Medicine, vice chancellor for medical affairs (executive vice chancellor for medical affairs from 1993) and president of the Washington University Medical Center. In 2003, Peck was named director, Center for Health Policy and Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Washington University. In 2005 he was appointed Senior Professor of Engineering at Washington University.
Academic activities include original investigations in bone and mineral metabolism (100 scientific publications), extensive clinical teaching and patient care experience. Major scientific contributions include the first method for studying directly the structure, function and growth of bone cells, studies of mechanisms whereby hormones regulate bone cell function and the causes of osteoporosis.
Peck served as founding president of the National Osteoporosis Foundation, on the editorial boards of multiple journals, on numerous national and international medical and scientific panels and on advisory boards of major pharmaceutical companies. He holds numerous lectureships and society memberships, including the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (elected president, 1984), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (awarded Fellowship, 1992) and Institute of Medicine (NAS). He has served as chairman of the Council of Deans of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and, subsequently, chair of the AAMC. As a member of the Institute of Medicine, he served on the Institute's Committee on Redesigning Health Insurance Benefits, Payment and Performance Improvement Program.
Honors include an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from the University of Rochester; a NIH Career Program Award; Lederle Medical Faculty Award; Who's Who in America; Clinical Teacher of the Year, Washington University; Commissioner's Special Citation, Food and Drug Administration; Fellows Award, The Jewish Hospital of St. Louis; Award of Merit, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; Humanitarian Award, Arthritis Foundation of Eastern Missouri; Founders Award, National Osteoporosis Foundation; Humanitarian Award, Crohn's and Colitis Association; Paul Harris Fellow Award from the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International; Huntington Disease Society of America Award, St. Louis Chapter; Lifetime Achievement Award, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; International Brotherhood Award, Bikur Cholim Hospital, Jerusalem; National Children's Cancer Society Legacy Award; Distinguished Service Award, Washington University School of Medicine; Second Century Award, Washington University; Lifetime Achievement Award in Health Care, St. Louis Business Journal; and Charles Force Hutchison and Marjorie Smith Hutchison Medal, University of Rochester.
Peck has appeared as a scientific spokesman on national and local media (including McNeil Lehrer Report, Good Morning America and CBS Morning News), and he has chaired many national and international conferences and symposia.
Peck now serves on the boards of TIAA-CREF Trust Company,
Allied Health Care Products, University
of Rochester and St.
Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association, Technology Gateway Council
(chair). He is also the chair of the Health Policy Advisory Council for Centene
Corporation.