Cheri Canon, M.D., chief physician executive of UAB Health System and president of the UA Health Services Foundation, was selected by Yellowhammer News for its 2026 class of “Women of Impact” in Alabama.
Now in its eighth year, the annual recognition celebrates women across the state for their leadership, service, and influence in business and their communities. Dr. Canon was honored previously as part of the 2020 class.
The group includes leaders in business, government, healthcare, nonprofit work, and civic organizations. Selection was based on individual accomplishments and “the tangible difference they’ve made in the organizations and communities they serve,” according to Yellowhammer News. The online news outlet will publish a profile of Dr. Canon as part of its coverage of this year’s honorees, leading up to a formal ceremony in Birmingham.
A commitment to service
The recognition reflects her leadership in healthcare and academic medicine, as well as her continued commitment to strengthening the organizations and communities she serves. Dr. Canon assumed her current roles in May 2024, following 13 years as a professor and chair of Radiology for the UAB Heersink School of Medicine.
Dr. Canon also serves as president-elect of the American Board of Radiology’s Board of Governors, and she’s been an oral examiner and a member of its Board of Trustees for 11 years. Her involvement with the American College of Radiology has included terms as vice president, board chancellor, and chair of its Commission on Education.
A longtime advocate for women, Dr. Canon co-created and co-directs LEAD, a women’s leadership development program jointly developed by the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments and GE Healthcare. She is a past president of the Society and served as president and a member of the executive board for Momentum, a Birmingham women’s leadership organization.