Christopher Ethan Cox

My work is conducted as a clinician, researcher, teacher, and administrator at Duke University.  Currently, I am an Associate Professor of Medicine, the director of Duke’s Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU), and the Director of the Duke Program to Support People and Enhance Recovery (ProSPER).  My clinical work is based in ICUs at Duke University, though I am also a board-certified palliative medicine specialist.

My research focuses on understanding and improving the experience of critical illness and quality of care for patients, their families and loved ones, clinicians, and society in general.  To do this, my work addresses topics and methodologies including health services research, behavioral and psychological concerns, communication improvement, technological development, and decision making support—all in the context of critical care and palliative medicine.  My extensive training in clinical and health services research methodology and healthcare information technology allows me to do this. 

Key interests:  Critical care, healthcare information technology, health administration and policy, decision making, health economics, mechanical ventilation, palliative care, chronic critical illness / prolonged mechanical ventilation, critical care echocardiography