Derek Williams

March 11, 2026

Poll: Tennessee parents are worried about the future for their kids; 1 in 3 say their child has been diagnosed with a mental health condition

Teen mental health, social media, bullying, screen time and school quality top list of parental concerns

By Jake Lowary
May 5, 2022

Williams honored by Society for Hospital Medicine

Vanderbilt’s Derek Williams, MD, has received the 2022 Excellence in Research award from the Society for Hospital Medicine.

By Christina Echegaray
February 3, 2022

Study finds shorter treatment better for young children with outpatient pneumonia

A Vanderbilt study found that five days of antibiotics is superior to 10 days for children with community-acquired pneumonia who are not hospitalized.

By Craig Boerner
December 16, 2021

Ess, Warren, Williams elected to American Pediatric Society

Three Vanderbilt pediatricians have been elected to the American Pediatric Society, one of the nation’s oldest and most renowned academic societies.

By Rachel Vitolo
January 4, 2018

Rehm, Williams take new roles in Department of Pediatrics

Two Department of Pediatrics faculty members have been named to new and expanded roles. Kris Rehm, MD, has been named vice chair of Outreach Activities. Succeeding Rehm in her role as Division Chief for Hospital Medicine is Derek Williams, MD, MPH.

By Christina Echegaray
November 9, 2017

Amoxicillin alone better choice for pediatric pneumonia: study

A combination of two antibiotics is often prescribed to treat community-acquired pneumonia in children, but a JAMA Pediatrics study is now showing that using just one of the two has the same benefit to patients in most cases.

By Craig Boerner
December 1, 2016

Study tests shorter antibiotic course in children

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) are leading a multicenter clinical trial to evaluate whether a shorter course of antibiotics — five days instead of 10 — is effective at treating community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children who show improvement after the first few days of taking antibiotics.
By Christina Echegaray
June 22, 2015

Vanderbilt-led multi-center study looks at antibiotic choice for treating childhood pneumonia

New Vanderbilt-led research shows hospitals are doing a better job of using antibiotics less commonly associated with antibiotic resistance to treat children hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).
By Christina Echegaray
February 26, 2015

Respiratory viruses are main childhood pneumonia culprit: Study

Respiratory viruses, not bacterial infections, are the most commonly detected causes of community-acquired pneumonia in children, according to new research released Feb. 26 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
By Christina Echegaray
December 9, 2013

Penicillin equally effective as ‘big gun’ antibiotics for treating less severe childhood pneumonia, Vanderbilt study shows

Children hospitalized for pneumonia have similar outcomes, including length of stay and costs, regardless of whether they are treated with “big gun” antibiotics such as ceftriaxone or cefotaxime or more narrowly focused antibiotics such as ampicillin or penicillin.
By Craig Boerner