Joan Pendergast Cox

Joan Cox is Yuma Regional Medical Center’s Senior Vice President and Chief Experience Officer. She and her team work across every department in the organization to foster a culture of service excellence while enhancing patient and family relations.

With over 30 years of experience in health care, Ms. Cox has focused explicitly on the patient experience since 2015. Previously, she served as a patient experience coach and held leadership positions as the National Director and National Senior Director of Patient Experience with Steward Health Care, based in Dallas, TX. During her tenure, she designed and implemented programs to improve culture and best practices for patient experience.

Ms. Cox recently joined YRMC in 2023 as their first Chief Experience Officer. In her ongoing work with front-line staff, hospital leaders and providers, she nurtures outstanding care at every touch point — from scheduling to discharge to follow-up care — in both the inpatient and ambulatory areas.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. She received the Certified Patient Experience Professional (CPXP) designation from the Patient Experience Institute, an affiliate of the Beryl Institute.