Dr. Karen Cox was appointed President of Chamberlain University in 2018. She is responsible for managing all undergraduate and graduate programs, which includes 21 physical campuses, as well as online programs.

Prior to joining Chamberlain, Dr. Cox served as Executive Vice President and CEO of Children’s Mercy Hospital and Clinics in Kansas City. Dr. Cox led the organization to receive Magnet designation by The American Nurses Credentialing Center, becoming the first so designated hospital in Missouri and the region in 2003 when she was Senior Vice President for Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer.

Previously, she was elected to the American Hospital Association, Section on Maternal and Child Health Governing Council (2013-2016) and was appointed to the Children’s Hospital Association, Child Health Committee (2013-2017). Dr. Cox was named a Fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellowship Program (1999-2002) and was appointed to a term on the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice, U.S. Health and Human Services (2006-2011). She also served as board chair of the National Initiative for Children’s Health Quality, as board member and chair of the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City (2009-2015), and was an inaugural member of the National League of Nursing Foundation Advisory Council.

Dr. Cox has published numerous articles in nursing publications. She served as President of the American Academy of Nursing from 2017-2019, and is a Fellow in the American College of Health Care Executives. Dr. Cox started her healthcare career as a licensed practical nurse. She holds an associate degree in nursing from Excelsior College, a bachelor’s in nursing degree from the University of Kansas, and a master’s and PhD in nursing from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.