James Cox started his college education on a baseball scholarship at the University of Mississippi.
He served with the US Army medical corps from 1970 through 1972, then returned to Duke to finish his residency and surgical training, under the direction of David Sabiston.
Specializing in surgeries for cardiac arrhythmias, in 1987 he first performed his eponymous "maze" procedure,[2] which was recognized as the first cure for atrial fibrillation.
[4] He continued his active role in cardiology, serving as director on professional boards and as editor of two journals of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery.
Vishnevsky Medal, Vishnevsky University Surgical Institute, Moscow, Russia 2016 – Honorary Professor of Surgery, Vishnevsky University, Moscow, Russia 2016 – Hall of Fame, University of Mississippi 2017 – Award as “The Father of Arrhythmia Surgery”, AATS STARS Conference 2019 – Honorary Fellow of the Indian Association of Cardiothoracic Surgery (IACTS) 2020 – Jacobson Innovation Award, American College of Surgeons