The senior medical planner in HOK’s Boston studio is one of just 30 architects to earn the distinction this year.
Elizabeth Cox, a senior medical planner at HOK, has won an AIA Young Architects Award for 2024. The recognition by the American Institute of Architects honors architects who exhibit exceptional leadership and who’ve made significant contributions to the profession through their design work, mentoring and advocacy.
Over her nearly two-decade career, Cox has designed projects of all scales—from small radiology spaces to multi-campus master plans. Her award-winning portfolio includes hospitals and medical buildings across the United States. She is currently working on the design for a large hospital expansion in the Northeast.
Cox joined HOK in 2022 and has been instrumental in launching the firm’s new Boston studio. An active member of the Boston architecture community, she served as the 2021 president of the AIA New England Regional Council and founded the Boston Society of Architecture’s Revit User Group. She is particularly passionate about nurturing aspiring designers from underrepresented communities. Cox has served as a mentor through the National Organization of Minority Architects and the ACE Mentor Program and is a member of the DEI committee for the Boston chapter of the Association of Medical Facilities Professionals.
Originally from California, she chose to focus on healthcare after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, with an architecture degree and witnessing the impact medical design can have on patients, families and caregivers.