Radiologist named chief physician executive at UAB Health System

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System has selected a radiologist to serve as its new chief physician executive, leaders announced Wednesday.

Cheri Canon, MD, will officially transition into the role on May 1, replacing retiring anesthesiologist Keith A. (Tony) Jones, MD. UAB created the role in 2017 to maximize practice efficiency and productivity, along with improving quality and safety by better integrating clinical service lines.

Canon, who has served as chair of the organization’s Department of Radiology since 2011, will also become president of the University of Alabama Health Services Foundation (a role also held by Jones).

“I am energized by the direction of UAB Medicine, and I look forward to my new roles and working closely with the clinical chairs, UAB Health System leadership including CEO Dawn Bulgarella and Heersink School of Medicine Dean Anupam Agarwal in this next phase of my career,” Canon said in a Dec. 20 announcement.

She has been with UAB for more than three decades, also serving as the Witten-Stanley Endowed Chair of Radiology and chief clinical integration officer for the health system. As chief physician executive, Canon will be tasked with championing opportunities to integrate and align physicians across the UAB Health System, developing new models for care delivery, and fostering collaboration with leadership, among other things.

“Dr. Canon’s deep roots at UAB and her skilled and dedicated leadership make her an excellent choice for HSF president and UAB Health System CPE,” Dawn Bulgarella, CEO of the UAB Health System, said in the announcement.