Dr. Charles Woods
Dr. Charles Woods, former chairman of the Department of Pediatrics with the University of Louisville College of Medicine, has been named chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga and chief medical officer of the Children’s Hospital at Erlanger. The announcement was made jointly by Dr. Bruce Shack, dean of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Medicine in Chattanooga and Kevin M. Spiegel, FACHE, president and CEO of the Erlanger Health System. Children’s Hospital is the only pediatric specialty hospital in the region and one of six hospitals currently in the Erlanger Health System.
In his new position, Dr. Woods will oversee department faculty at Children’s Hospital, as well as all faculty appointments and educational activities. He will also help advance strategic planning of the new Children’s Hospital and its research activities. Slated to begin his new leadership role at Erlanger this summer, Dr. Woods said, “The physicians and leadership teams of Erlanger and UT College of Medicine strongly believe in their mission to provide excellent healthcare to children. I look forward to joining them in this effort in July.”
Noting that the new chief of pediatrics is nationally recognized in the world of pediatrics and infectious disease, Dr. Shack said, “All of us at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Chattanooga and Children’s Hospital of Erlanger are extremely pleased to welcome Dr. Charles Woods to our campus as the new chair of the Department of Pediatrics and CMO of the new Children’s Hospital. He brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and academic leadership skills with him to these positions. His arrival will put us in an excellent position to move forward with improvements in our pediatric training programs and patient care.”
Erlanger CEO Kevin Spiegel said Dr. Woods “is the ideal person to take our department of pediatrics to the next level and we join Dean Shack in welcoming him to Chattanooga and to our faculty. He has an impressive record of mentoring other physicians, leading clinical trials and research efforts, and there is no question he will help build our reputation, program and faculty in a significant way.”
Dr. Woods is a native of Alabama and graduated from Samford University. He attended medical school and completed his residency and fellowship training in pediatric infectious diseases at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He also has a master’s degree in Epidemiology from Wake Forest University. He has served as in numerous roles, including chairman, in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Louisville School of Medicine since 2006. A leader in the specialty of infectious diseases, Dr. Wood was elected by national peers as an officer in the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society where he contributed to numerous research, study groups and task forces related to this specialty. He has also been active in the American Academy of Pediatrics, participating in the Academy’s annual leadership forums and has received numerous teaching and mentoring awards.
In 2017, Dr. Woods was recognized with the Kentucky Medical Association Educational Achievement Award for outstanding contributions to the field of medical education. He also received the Distinguished Educator Award from the University of Louisville School of Medicine and was named Outstanding Clinical Professor of the Year two consecutive years by graduating pediatrics residents at the UL School of Medicine.
Dr. Woods has lectured on infectious diseases at more than 60 pediatrics and public health conferences throughout the United States, served on numerous editorial boards and is currently Associate Editor of The Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. Over the years, he has written chapters in more than 40 books, with subjects ranging from pediatric meningitis to immunization practices. He has authored or co-authored more than 110 journal articles and reviews for medical journal publications related to his specialty.