Catherine Fox

"Now give your mama a kiss, Jackson. She just bought you a hospital."

- Catherine Fox to Jackson Avery

Catherine Fox (formerly Avery) is an attending urologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and a part-time staff surgeon at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Her husband is Richard Webber and her son is Jackson. She's also the founder and current board chairman of the Catherine Fox Foundation.

First Penile Transplant
Catherine Avery first came to Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital when she performed a penile transplant on Ryan. She presented the case at grand rounds and then set all the residents up in a lab to see who would win the chance to assist her in the OR. Jackson and Meredith were the last two standing and scrubbed in to assist, along with Mark. When Meredith had to step out in the middle of the operation, April, who was observing and who had helped retrieve the graft, was selected to step in. When April suctioned too aggressively, Mark and Jackson had to harvest a new vein to graft blood flow. The surgery was finished successfully and Ryan was pleased with the end result. ("Love, Loss and Legacy")

Bladder Reconstruction
Catherine returned to Seattle to help reconstruct the bladder of Irene. They'd used her own stem cells to grow a bladder that her body wouldn't reject. The surgery went well and Irene's urinary incontinence was resolved. She brought along her fellow, Mara Keaton, with the hopes of getting more information about Jackson's personal life. Jackson figured out her plan and refused to tell Mara anything. ("One Step Too Far")

Founders of Medicine Benefit
She originally planned for Jackson to be her date to the benefit, but he backed out and convinced Mara also not to attend. She tried to get Richard to attend with her, but he also declined, feeling disloyal to his wife. ("One Step Too Far")

Oral Boards
Catherine was a proctor at the oral boards the same year her son was taking them. ("Moment of Truth")

Jackson was rattled because he could hear her through the walls as he was trying to concentrate on his test, after finding out that she had slept with Richard the night before.

Catherine later told Richard that she'd checked with some of her friends and found out that one of the Seattle Grace doctors didn't pass. She worried that Jackson had failed because he was traumatized by what he'd seen. ("Let the Bad Times Roll")

Scrotal Lymphedema
Catherine returned to the hospital again to treat Bryan Greenberg, who had scrotal lymphedema. During that visit, April also avoided her because she knew Catherine would figure out she'd been having sex because she was obsessed with April's sex life. ("I Saw Her Standing There")

Purchasing the Hospital
After a conversation with Richard Webber regarding their primary investor, Julian Crest, falling through, Catherine Avery, along with the Harper Avery Foundation, decided to contribute the necessary funds to purchase Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital. As a caveat, however, Catherine wanted a representative of their choosing to sit on the board as chairman and selected her son, Jackson Avery. ("This is Why We Fight")

Richard believed that it was too much responsibility for Jackson to handle, but Catherine assured him that Jackson could handle it as he's an Avery. She gave him tips to help him and he ultimately stepped up to the challenge. ("Transplant Wasteland")

Richard's Accident and Recovery
When Richard was electrocuted, Catherine came to the hospital and immediately criticized how his case was being handled. Catherine wanted to move him to another hospital, but he'd listed Meredith as his medical proxy, so she didn't have the authority. ("I Want You With Me")

She later believed his recovery was being hindered by the staff at the hospital, whom she said were coddling him because they love and fear him. She was impressed when she saw Richard demanding that his staff treat him as they would any other patient. ("I Bet It Stung")

Richard's Birthday
On Richard's birthday, Catherine told him she'd be around, so he assumed they'd be doing something for his birthday, like a party. They later went to get dinner and she led him into his surprise party. ("We Gotta Get Out of This Place")

Cristina's Harper Avery Award Nomination
Catherine presented the Harper Avery Award the year Cristina was nominated. However, the award was given to someone else. ("Go It Alone")

She later told Richard that Cristina had the votes, but had lost because of the Harper Avery Foundation's interest in the hospital. They didn't want it to look like she won simply because the Harper Avery Foundation owns the hospital. ("Change of Heart")

Birth and Death of Samuel
When she learned April was pregnant, Catherine came to visit Seattle to see her and Jackson. While she was there, there was an explosion at a mall. When she saw April worried about the state of the world and raising her child in it, she told April that the world changed by good people raising their babies right and told April she'd be okay. ("Fear (of the Unknown)")

When April and Jackson learned that their baby had osteogenesis imperfecta and was in pain as his bones were already breaking, Catherine came to Seattle and told April to set aside a day, during which they'd induce labor and she'd have him baptized right in the hospital room, then she could hold him until he died. ("All I Could Do Was Cry")

Penis Amputation
When Thomas Archibald came into the hospital after his wife cut his penis off upon finding out he was cheating with his sous-chef, Catherine, who was in town for a conference, was called in to re-attach it. The re-attachment was successful, but shortly thereafter, his penis was cut off again. The second re-attachment was also successful. ("Crazy Love")

New Chief
When Owen Hunt stepped down as Chief of Surgery, the board needed to vote in a new Chief. ("Time Stops") Richard suggested Miranda Bailey, but Catherine insisted that she go against an outside candidate of her own choosing. ("You're My Home")

She brought in Tracy McConnell, but Miranda Bailey ultimately won and was named the new Chief of Surgery. ("Sledgehammer")

April's Second Pregnancy
When she found out April was pregnant again, Catherine came to Seattle. She spoke to April about her own experience with pregnancy and the seemingly peaceful conversation led April to extend an olive branch to Jackson. However, Catherine revealed to him that she had talked to April to get proof that April had committed fraud so they could go after her. ("When It Hurts So Bad")

She tried to get Jackson to make a case for getting sole custody once the baby was born, but instead, he tried approaching April peacefully, which worked. ("I Wear the Face")

Richard's Get-Together
When Catherine planned a visit to Seattle, Richard planned a small get-together with a few friends. However, she surprised him by showing up a week early, saying she couldn't wait to see him. ("At Last")

Visiting the New Baby
After April gave birth to her daughter, Catherine came to visit them both. She was delighted to hear they'd named the baby Harriet but dismayed to learn the baby's last name wasn't Avery. When she questioned why they couldn't hyphenate, Jackson told her they had. The baby's last name was Kepner-Avery. ("Undo")

Re-Working the Residency Program
Catherine came to the hospital to meet with Bailey about Alex. She believed Bailey was being too lenient and wanted Bailey to replace Alex. At the end of the day, Bailey took a stand and said she wasn't going to fire Alex. Catherine said that was fine, but then said too many people had gotten second chances and she wondered why they needed them in the first place. She wanted to work on the surgical residency program to return it to its former glory. ("Roar")

As a solution, she hired Eliza Minnick. ("Why Try to Change Me Now")

When Catherine came back to check on Bailey's progress, she was shocked to hear how resistant the attendings were to the change. She offered to let Bailey release her on them if she needed. ("None of Your Business")

Richard learned that it had been her decision to hire Eliza to replace him, making him feel betrayed. ("It Only Gets Much Worse")

Fight with Richard and Jackson
While working together at the hospital, Catherine butted heads with both Jackson and Richard over what she had done. They continued to fight as they treated a patient together. ("Civil War")

Jackson Finding His Father
Catherine watched Harriet for a few days while April and Jackson went to Montana for a case. While Jackson was there, he met up with his estranged father and made peace with him not being around. When Jackson returned to Seattle, he thanked his mother for everything she'd done for him. ("Who Is He (And What Is He To You)?")

Press Conference
Catherine attended the press conference about Meredith and Nathan's work on the plane. ("Don't Stop Me Now")

Hospital Fire
When Catherine learned about the hospital fire and Stephanie being taken by a rapist, she called Bailey, Richard, and Eliza into a room and questioned how it happened and why it took so long to find Stephanie. Eliza told her about forgetting to tell the cops about Stephanie being missing because she was following protocol and evacuating patients. This upset Bailey, who fired Eliza on the spot, saying they had no room for someone who didn't know when to violate protocol. She didn't want a place that churned out surgical robots. She wanted their program to raise surgeons. Catherine started to object, but Bailey said she was the chief and she'd made her decision. ("Ring of Fire")

Harper's Visit
Harper and Catherine came to town to look over the expenditures at the hospital as part of the renovation after the fire. After reviewing the numbers, Harper wanted to pull out Harper Avery Foundation funding. Bailey explained to him why he shouldn't do that and he agreed not to pull out, but then he fired Bailey instead. Catherine told Bailey she'd go to bat against Harper for her, but before she could, they found Harper dead in the conference room. ("Go Big or Go Home")

Harper's Funeral
After Harper's funeral, which she said was full of people saying only positive things about Harper, Catherine and Richard had a family dinner with Jackson and Maggie, at which she revealed that Jackson was inheriting millions of dollars from his grandfather. ("Ain't That a Kick in the Head")

Harper Avery Awards
When Meredith was nominated for a Harper Avery Award, Catherine invited her, Maggie, and Zola to join herself and Jackson on a private plane to Boston for the ceremony. Catherine was annoyed when Meredith instead stayed behind to treat a patient. At the ceremony, Catherine presented the award to Meredith and Jackson accepted it on her behalf and gave a speech about the loss she'd overcome. ("Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story")

Bailey's Hospitalization
When Bailey was hospitalized for a heart attack, Catherine brought food and beverages to the hospital for Richard and Ben. ("(Don't Fear) the Reaper")

Vaginoplasty
Catherine came to the hospital with her friend, Michelle Velez, so Michelle could pitch to them a project idea, using herself as a patient, for a new technique for vaginoplasties as part of gender-confirmation surgery. After the proposal, Catherine was upset because Jackson wanted to work on a different project instead. She had Dahlia Qadri write up a proposal for the vaginoplasty as well as Jackson's other idea. Jackson was convinced to choose to work on the vaginoplasty. ("Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger")

On the day of Michelle's surgery, Catherine and Jackson were fighting about him seeing Maggie, so Michelle started to back out. She refused to have the surgery until her surgeons were both on the same page and ready to focus on her, because she only had one shot and wanted it to go well. Under her gaze, they worked out their disagreement. Catherine admitted that she didn't want it to affect her own relationship, which is why she was worried about it. Then they operated together and it went well. ("Caught Somewhere in Time")

Tending to Richard
When Richard sat by Olive's bedside while she died, Catherine took him food and drinks and sat with him for periods of time. ("Beautiful Dreamer")

Harper Avery Lawsuit
When an NDA signed after a lawsuit with Harper was preventing Amelia from getting access to research from Rebecca Froy, Jackson had the legal team waive the NDA, after Catherine told him it was a minor spat over some research. However, she later told Richard that Jackson had ruined them. ("Beautiful Dreamer")

Catherine immediately started to do damage control to protect the foundation as more allegations came to light. ("Judgment Day")

As word spread that Harper Avery had assaulted multiple women, Catherine hired Erin Mason to do crisis management. She suggested creating good PR by having Jackson do a charitable surgery and then having someone take the fall. Because she'd signed the settlements with the women, Catherine suggested herself, over Jackson and Richard's objections. With Erin's help, she drafted a statement taking the blame, but then Jackson and Meredith interrupted the meeting and showed her a statement they'd written in which they pledged to re-train and re-hire all the affected women under a new foundation, in Catherine's name. ("Bad Reputation")

Alex and Jo's Wedding
On the day of Alex and Jo's wedding, Catherine was part of the group that went to the wrong wedding. When they realized what had happened, they all rushed to get on a ferry out to Bainbridge Island. After the wedding planner ended up having an allergic reaction to shrimp and was sent to the hospital, the wedding party and guests then boarded a ferry, where Alex and Jo were married by Meredith. Catherine also ordered food to Jackson's place so the party could continue there. ("All of Me")

Helping Richard
During her visits to Seattle, Catherine continued to spend time with Richard, which he enjoyed and said helped him sleep a lot better. ("With a Wonder and a Wild Desire")

Cancer Diagnosis
Catherine had neck and back pain for weeks. When it became intolerable, she had some scans run, which showed a large spinal tumor. She called Koracick and Meredith to LA under the guise of a VIP patient. When they arrived, she showed them the scans and then told them she was the patient. They did a biopsy to look for cancer, which they found. The tumor was very aggressive, which worried Tom. Catherine talked about all the things she had survived and challenged Tom to help her survive this. ("Anybody Have a Map?")

When she found out that Meredith had told Maggie about the diagnosis, she fired Meredith from her team and advised her to keep away until the fury passed. ("Help, I'm Alive")

Uma Paxton
Catherine had been working with Uma Paxton, who had a recurrent vaginal tumor. She developed a surgical technique which would allow Uma to keep her uterus, preserving her fertility. However, when they operated, the tissue proved to be too friable, forcing them to perform a hysterectomy. Catherine was upset because she had told Uma she could do it and failed. After the surgery, she told Uma, who cried. ("Help, I'm Alive")

Surgery and Recovery
The day came for Catherine to have her surgery. Before her surgery, Jackson played "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and they had a dance party in the OR. Then she was put under. Despite having to change the surgical plan to remove the tumor in pieces and open her from the front as well as the back, she woke up after surgery. When they told her they'd had to leave a small piece of the tumor behind, she said what was important was that she'd live. She'd need frequent scans to check on the tumor and would live with cancer probably for the rest of her life, but she'd be able to live that life. ("The Winner Takes It All")

After her surgery, Catherine had trouble accepting help. She hired a physical therapist, Marsha, to give her some exercises she could do to get herself back to normal. However, she felt Marsha was condescending and resisted her help. After weeks of physical therapy, she finally felt able to do things by herself. On Valentine's Day, she and Richard were able to reconnect physically. ("Girlfriend in a Coma")

Party
To celebrate her doctors and her survival, Catherine had Jackson throw a party, though she said she didn't want a large one. However, on the day of the party, she avoided going, saying she was hesitant to celebrate because she still has cancer and it's not over. Bailey convinced her to go to the party anyway and celebrate her life because she still has it. They went to the party, but before they could even finish toasting, a plastic pan accidentally placed in the oven forced a building evacuation. Catherine then decided to take Richard, Jackson, and Maggie to get some food, establishing a new tradition for after every scan she had to get, good or bad. ("We Didn't Start the Fire")

Robert Avery
Catherine was married to Robert Avery, who is the father of Jackson. It was revealed that he tried to take Jackson across the country away from Catherine, but she wouldn't put up with it and sued him for parental rights. He is currently estranged from Jackson. ("I Wear the Face")

Richard Webber
When Catherine returned to the hospital for a bladder transplant using a bladder they had grown from scratch, Catherine openly flirted with Richard. Initially, he flirted back with her because he considered it innocent. When Jackson ditched her as her date for a benefit, Catherine asked Richard to be her date and he agreed. However, that evening, he told her he was afraid he couldn't accompany her because his wife was in a home with Alzheimer's. Adele didn't recognize him anymore and he missed talking to her and laughing with her. He didn't feel like a man anymore with Adele, and Catherine's flirting made him feel like a man again. That made him not trust himself to go to dinner with Catherine. She told him he was a good man and they hugged, after which he left to go see Adele. ("One Step Too Far")

They met again at the boards, where they both were examiners. They had dinner together and he confessed he hadn't seen Adele in a long time, as it only seemed to confuse her more. They continued their flirting and after she got the check, they ended up kissing in her hotel room. He hesitated before progressing, but a loving look from Catherine convinced him to proceed. Jackson found out about their night together when he came to her room to ask for his lucky pencil. ("Moment of Truth")

Richard and Catherine didn't regret their night together. Catherine had a short conversation with Jackson where she told him she was a woman with needs. After the boards were over, during their goodbye, Catherine and Richard discovered they were both speaking at an upcoming conference. They compared agendas and made plans to stay in the same hotel. ("Let the Bad Times Roll")

They continue to develop this relationship. Following the death of his wife, Catherine sent him a box of cookies and offered companionship. ("The End is the Beginning is the End")

When it looked like Seattle Grace Mercy West was going to be sold to Pegasus Horizons, Richard contemplated moving to Boston to be closer to her. However, she suggested the Harper Avery Foundation could put up the remaining capital they needed in exchange for a seat on the board. ("This is Why We Fight")

When Cristina Yang didn't win the Harper Avery Award, Richard Webber came to Boston. He was planning to propose but questioned the foundation's decision to give the award to someone else. When Catherine admitted that she had the votes, but didn't win because the Harper Avery Foundation owns the hospital, he showed her the ring and told her she ruined it and left. ("Change of Heart")

They avoided each other during subsequent visits, but when Catherine learned that April and Jackson's baby was going to die, Richard decided to be available in case she needed him. She initially told him she wanted to be alone, but later asked him to take her home and hold her. ("All I Could Do Was Cry")

Afterward, he tried to get her to give Jackson and April space to grieve alone, but she insisted on asked Jackson how April was doing. Richard felt used, believing she'd used visiting him as an excuse to check on April. ("The Great Pretender")

When April later called Catherine to the hospital to re-attach a man's penis, Richard tried to stop her. He told Catherine she'd hurt his feelings. She said it had happened with many men before and he said that it would probably happen again, but it was worth the risk. ("Crazy Love")

When Richard later tried to propose to her on the 4th of July, she stopped him before he could get the ring out, saying he shouldn't ask without knowing the answer. However, the following Valentine's Day, she took the reins and proposed to him herself, making it a romantic gesture with candles and roses. He accepted. ("She's Leaving Home")

After a tunnel collapse botched their original wedding plans, they married in a small ceremony in the hospital chapel, with the reception following at The Dream House. Before the wedding, they argued and Catherine took off her ring, but Meredith told them to work it out because they'll never have enough time to be with the people they love. ("You're My Home")

Their relationship was strained when he learned that she had decided to hire Eliza to replace him, not Bailey. ("It Only Gets Much Worse")

After speaking with Bailey about how their lives had taken similar paths and neither of them knew how to be married at first, Catherine went to Richard and admitted she was wrong, starting them on the path to reconciliation. ("Don't Stop Me Now")

For her birthday, Richard took salsa dancing lessons and surprised her at Joe's with a dance in front of their colleagues. ("Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger")

Jackson Avery
Jackson Avery is her son. He gets irritated easily because she butts into his personal life. Even though he didn't tell her Lexie's name when they were dating, she revealed that she knew it and said she had her ways when he questioned her. ("Love, Loss and Legacy")

When Jackson started seeing Stephanie, Catherine walked in on the two of them having sex, giving her a bad first impression of Stephanie. After working with Stephanie on a case, however, she agreed to forget the incident and start fresh. ("I Bet It Stung")

When he eloped with April, she insisted on them drawing up and signing a post-nuptial agreement in order to protect the Avery assets. They did so, forcing themselves to confront how different their plans for their future children were. ("We Gotta Get Out of This Place")

She told April that when she was pregnant with him, she was always tired and swollen. ("When It Hurts So Bad")

She became a Grandmother when Jackson's daughter with April arrived via emergency c-section.

When Jackson visited his father, Robert Avery, Jackson realized that Robert wasn't his dad because he hadn't been involved in his life. When he got back from Montana, he thanked Catherine for everything and hugged her. ("Who Is He (And What Is He To You)?")

Parents
She lost her mother when she was very young. Then her father died on his way to church when she was 18, leaving her to raise her sisters on her own. ("Anybody Have a Map?")

Michelle Velez
She and Michelle are long-time friends. ("Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger")

Thomas Koracick
She has a history with Koracick. They flirted a little bit when they ran into each other again at the hospital and she invited him to return for lectures in the future. ("Ain't That a Kick in the Head")

Tom later told Meredith that Catherine was the one who woke him back up after his son died, reminding him that he was still alive and shouldn't sleepwalk through his life. ("Anybody Have a Map?")

Career
Catherine is an attending urologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She is also the chairman of the board of the Catherine Fox Foundation.

She occasionally consulted at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital and performed the country's first penile transplant there. ("Love, Loss and Legacy")

In 2012, she served as a board examiner in San Francisco, CA. ("Moment of Truth") Between 2016 and 2017, Catherine Avery joined the surgical staff of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, at least part-time, as she has scheduled surgeries when she's in Seattle.

Notes and Trivia

 * When Catherine visits, she brings her own lab coat from Brigham and Women's Hospital. She also sometimes wears a lab coat issued from Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital; however, as of season twelve, Catherine exclusively wears her GSM lab coat.
 * Catherine says she has her own ways to know details about Jackson's life.
 * She used to be Facebook friends with April Kepner.
 * When she was ten years old, she loved waffles.
 * She hates eggs.
 * Catherine is the country's foremost authority on penile reattachment.
 * Catherine's personalized scrub cap is red-orange themed with yellow florals.
 * She cut her hair in season eleven.
 * She sings Diana Ross's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" to calm herself down.

Memorable Quotes

 * Catherine: Now give your mama a kiss, Jackson. She just bought you a hospital.


 * Catherine: You had an opportunity to work with Derek Shepherd? And you turned it down, for plastics? Jackson Avery, who raised you when I wasn't looking?

Appearances
Catherine Avery Catherine Avery