Jennifer Cox Taylor, MD

Dr. Jennifer Cox Taylor, known as Dr. Cox to her patients and colleagues at Moffitt Cancer Center and as Jenny to everyone who loved her, passed away unexpectedly in her sleep at her home in Tampa on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at the age of 57.

Jenny was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, to William "Bill" Cox and Joy Piercy Cox, the oldest of three sisters, and she grew up in the Charlotte area. She graduated from Independence High School and North Carolina State University, earned her medical degree at St. George's University School of Medicine, and completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. In 2004 she came to Tampa for her fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of South Florida, and she never left.

She joined the medical staff of Moffitt and USF in 2007 and spent her career in Moffitt's intensive care unit, caring for the hospital's most seriously ill patients and their families. She served as Medical Director of the ICU, and over the years she was a mentor to dozens of students, residents, and physicians and a role model for many more in her field. Tampa Magazine named her a Top Doctor every year from 2019 through 2026. Her greatest honor came in March 2026, when she was named Physician of the Year at Moffitt, nominated by her peers and coworkers.

Those who knew Jenny recognized her extraordinary dedication to medicine and the boundless compassion she showed her patients. Outside the hospital, she loved her family, her pets, and her Nissan Z cars. She was a passionate cook who spent long hours in the kitchen, and she was known at work for the things she baked for her coworkers. She was an avid Carolina Panthers fan, and she loved Eric Church and classic country music.

Jenny met her husband, Jim Taylor, on a blind date, and they were married in 2015. She became a loving stepmother to Jim's daughter, Mackenzie, and she loved going to Mackenzie's many violin, choir, and theater concerts and school events. Jim and Jenny enjoyed their trips to Nashville and their stays at Margaritaville resorts.

Jenny is survived by her loving husband, James "Jim" Taylor, and her stepdaughter, Mackenzie Taylor, of Tampa; her parents, Bill and Joy Cox of Mint Hill, North Carolina; her sister Karin Cox Barnette (Jeffrey) and their children, Jillian and Dalton Barnette, of McAdenville, North Carolina; her sister Ashley Cox Mueller (David) of Mint Hill; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and dear friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation in Jenny's honor to Nate's Honor Animal Rescue Center in Bradenton, Florida, where she adopted her beloved rescue dog, Maverick:  Nates Honor Animal Rescue Center