Director, Defense Health Network West

U.S. Army Brig. Gen. (Dr.) E. Darrin Cox is commanding general of the U.S. Army Medical Readiness Command, West, as well as director, Defense Health Network, West for the Defense Health Agency. Both organizations are located at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Cox holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Washington University, a doctor of medicine from Thomas Jefferson University, and a master’s degree in Strategic Studies (Distinguished Graduate) from the U.S. Army War College.

Cox entered the Army under the Health Professions Scholarship Program and was commissioned a captain in the Medical Corps, following graduation from medical school. He completed his general surgery residency and thoracic surgery fellowship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. He is board certified in both general and thoracic surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Chest Physicians. BG Cox holds academic appointments at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, El Paso, Texas. He is a recipient of the prestigious The Surgeon General’s “A” proficiency designator for thoracic surgery.

Cox’s previous assignments include: Command Surgeon, United States Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Commander, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Deputy Medical Corps Chief, Office of The Surgeon General, Falls Church, Virginia; Deputy Commanding Officer, William Beaumont Army Medical Center; Fort Bliss, Texas; Commander, Bavaria Medical Activity, Germany; Chair, Department of Surgery, William Beaumont Army Medical Center; Deputy Commander for Clinical Services, 31st Combat Support Hospital, Fort Bliss; Commander, 745th Forward Surgical Team, Fort Bliss; Chief, Thoracic Surgery, Walter Reed Army Medical Center; Chief, Thoracic Surgery, 10th Combat Support Hospital, Fort Carson, Colorado; and Chief, Performance Improvement and Attending Thoracic Surgeon, Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He also completed a 4-year term as Consultant to The Surgeon General for Thoracic Surgery.

Cox’s deployments include three combat tours—two tours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and one tour in support of Operation Enduring Freedom—as well as an operational tour supporting Joint Task Force-Bravo, Honduras.BG Cox’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (two Oak Leaf Clusters), Bronze Star Medal (three Oak Leaf Clusters), Meritorious Service Medal (seven Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Commendation Medal (one Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Achievement Medal (one Oak Leaf Cluster), Meritorious Unit Commendation (two Oak Leaf Clusters), and Army Superior Unit Award (one Oak Leaf Cluster). He has been awarded the Combat Medical Badge and is a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit (O2M3).