Nancy Cox

Chief of the Influenza Branch for the National Center for Infectious Diseases, Nancy Cox, Ph.D., at the podium during a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) press briefing.

Nancy Jane Cox (July 21, 1948 – April 23, 2026) was an American virologist who served as the director of the influenza division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2006 to 2014 and as director of the CDC's World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Control of Influenza from 1992 to 2014. Cox served as the Chair and Co-Chair of the Scientific Advisory Council of GISAID, between the years 2008 and 2017 and was frequently recognized for having played an instrumental role in the success of GISAID.

Life and career Nancy J. Cox was born on July 21, 1948, in Emmetsburg, Iowa, She was educated at Iowa State University, graduating in 1970 with a degree in bacteriology.

Cox started working on influenza at the CDC in 1976.

Cox died in Atlanta, Georgia, from glioblastoma in April 23, 2026, at the age of 77.