He earned his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, and after completing his residency in Internal Medicine at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, he was a Cardiovascular Fellow in Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

In addition to being a frequent lecturer, Dr. Cannon has published more than 500 original articles, reviews, editorials, book chapters, and electronic publications in the field of acute coronary syndromes. His research is published in journals including Circulation, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, American Journal of Cardiology, American Heart Journal, JAMA, and The New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Cannon has received numerous awards including the Alfred Steiner Research Award, Upjohn Achievement in Research Award, and Robert F. Loeb Award for Excellence in Clinical Medicine. He is a Fellow of the American Heart Association and of the American College of Cardiology. He is the principal investigator of several ongoing trials, including MEDAL, which is comparing a COX-2 inhibitor with an NSAID for cardiovascular events, and IMPROVE IT, which will evaluate the benefit of lowering LDL-cholesterol well below 70 mg/dL with ezetimibe plus simvastatin compared with simvastatin alone.