Dr. Cheri L. Canon is the President of the UA Health Services Foundation, Chief Physician Executive of UAB Health System, and Professor Emerita in the Department of Radiology at UAB Heersink School of Medicine. After serving as professor, chair, and Witten-Stanley Endowed Chair of Radiology at UAB for 13 years, Dr. Canon transitioned to these broader executive leadership roles while maintaining her commitment to advancing the field of radiology and developing future leaders. In this episode, Dr. Canon recounts moments in her childhood as a young girl with a passion for the sciences growing up in a traditional American small town. We touch on her early career work in medical education, including her role in transitioning UAB's curriculum from a traditional discipline-based model to the organ-based system that students experience today—an accomplishment she considers one of the proudest of her career.

Dr. Canon then provides a glimpse into her extensive service with the American Board of Radiology, from her early days writing multiple-choice questions to her current role as Board of Governors president, in which she was a member of a team responsible for developing the New Diagnostic Radiology Oral Exam. We discuss her leadership philosophy, shaped by her years as residency program director and department chair, as well as her work in both the Birmingham community with Momentum and in the broader academic community with her co-creation of LEAD, a women's leadership program developed with SCARD and GE Healthcare. Lastly, we touch on her diverse scholarly work, from emotional intelligence and personal branding to workforce planning in radiology. Tune in as we explore how Dr. Canon's dedication to radiology education and leader development continues to shape the future of radiology while inspiring countless professionals along the way.

Check out The LEAD program (joint leadership program by SCARD and GE)!!

https://www.scardweb.org/lead-program

Check out Momentum (Birmingham-based women's leadership group)!!

https://momentumleaders.org/

See more of Dr. Canon’s awesome scholarly work!!

https://scholars.uab.edu/206-cheri-canon/publications

Check out Dr. Canon's recent feature on RSNA's 'Radiologists in Leadership' Article series!!!

https://www.rsna.org/news/2025/may/building-influence-through-radiology-leadership