Canon receives 2022 Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumni Award

This institutional award recognizes contributions to the medical field and support for the high standards of medical care.
Written by: Tehreem Khan
Media contact: Yvonne Taunton


canon 0720Cheri L. Canon, M.D.Cheri L. Canon, M.D., professor and department chair in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine’s Department of Radiology, has been named 2022 Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumni Award recipient by the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston John Sealy School of Medicine Alumni Association Board of Trustees.

“It is such an honor to receive this award, to visit my alma mater, to reconnect with friends and colleagues, and to be surrounded by my family,” Canon said. “UTMB holds a special place in my heart.”

Winners for this award were determined after an in-depth review by the ASDA committee based on recognized contributions to the medical field and support for the high standards of excellence within the profession. 

The ASDA Awards are the highest alumni honor given by the university’s John Sealy School of Medicine Alumni Association. It recognizes outstanding service to the medical profession and to humanity, while honoring the memory of Ashbel Smith, M.D., a prominent figure in Texas medicine, politics and education. Smith was considered the driving force behind establishing the University of Texas at Austin in 1881, and the medical department that would later be known as the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in 1891.