Lifetime Achievement Award honors Dr. Charles Peloquin’s contributions to tuberculosis treatment and research

The North American Region of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease presented its 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award to Charles Peloquin, Pharm.D., a professor and division head for translational research and the Jack C. Massey Professor in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. Peloquin received the award on Feb. 23, during the 27th Annual Conference of The Union-North America Region in Vancouver.

Charles PeloquinThe Lifetime Achievement Award honors an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field of tuberculosis, or TB, through mentoring or research. It was first presented in 2000 and Peloquin is the 24th award recipient.

Peloquin is internationally recognized for his expertise in mycobacterial infections and pharmacokinetics. He has authored close to 400 manuscripts, including more than 230 original research articles and over 50 book chapters. He has served as a consultant for the FDA, CDC and WHO and has contributed to national guidelines on the treatment of tuberculosis and the treatment of opportunistic infections in patients living with AIDS. Peloquin’s research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, the CDC, the FDA and others, and he regularly presents at many infectious disease conferences.

For the past 35 years, Peloquin has been director of the Infectious Disease Pharmacokinetics Laboratory, or IDPL, first at National Jewish Health in Denver and for the past 14 years at UF. The IDPL is an international reference clinical and research laboratory specializing in antibiotic pharmacology and therapeutic drug monitoring. The lab processes thousands of specimens from TB patients every year.

“Chuck has been instrumental in bringing attention to the TB community about the occurrence of lower-than-expected serum drug concentrations in patients with TB and how it contributes to poor clinical responses and/or the development of resistance,” said David Ashkin, M.D., medical director for the TB Control Section of the Bureau of Communicable Disease in the Florida Department of Health and author of a support letter for Peloquin’s award. “He is an outstanding teacher and consultant who is always available and has been sharing his expertise with the TB community for over 30 years. I can confidently state that through Dr. Peloquin’s contributions to the care of patients with tuberculosis, thousands of lives have been saved or made better.”