Dr. Timothy Cannon is a specialty care physician board certified in medical oncology with a special interest in the management of gastrointestinal malignancies. He serves as the Sheridan Director of Inova’s Molecular Tumor Board and Co-Director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Program.
A national expert in gastrointestinal oncology and cancer research, Dr. Cannon has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Katie Couric Media, and Runner’s World Magazine. His work and commentary focus on early-onset colorectal cancer, lifestyle and cancer risk, screening and prevention, and advances in precision, molecularly guided cancer care. His research and clinical perspective have helped shape national conversations on rising colorectal cancer rates in younger adults and the role of multidisciplinary care in improving outcomes.
As clinical director and moderator of Inova’s weekly molecular tumor board, Dr. Cannon helps match patients with targeted therapies based on molecular diagnostics. He is actively engaged in national cooperative group and industry sponsored clinical trials.
He is on the advisory board for the ARPA-ADAPT colorectal cancer ASCEND program, a nationwide paradigm-setting biomarker-driven trial.
Dr. Cannon has been chair-elect of the steering committee for the TAPUR trial, the largest oncology basket trial in North America. He previously served as chief fellow of hematology/oncology at New York University (NYU), where he was voted fellow of the year in each of his final two years. He received a "best doctor" award from Northern Virginia Magazine in 2015.
A native of New Jersey, Dr. Cannon is married with two sons. His wife, Amy, works in global public health. In his spare time, he likes playing sports (particularly soccer, flag football and tennis) and reading books. He was a member of two Division I basketball teams (University of Utah as a freshman and later Brigham Young University) in the 1990s and remains a huge basketball fan.
Awards/Associations
- Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University
- NYU Chief Fellow of Hematology/Oncology 2010-2011
- NYU Fellow of the Year 2011
- NYU Fellow of the Year 2010
- American Society of Clinical Oncology
- Top Doctors, Washingtonian, 2020, 2022
Research and Publications
View list of publications from Dr. Cannon's research
Blogs and Articles
Groundbreaking Inova study finds potential link between long-distance running and colon cancer (August 2025)
BESPOKE clinical trial supports value of blood test for colon cancer recurrence (March 2024)
Endurance sports and colorectal cancer: Is there a connection? (October 2022)
Immunotherapy: Cancer care gets customized (October 2017)
Colon cancer in young adults: Know your risk (April 2017)
David Bowie and liver cancer: Bringing awareness to the disease and promising new treatments on the horizon (January 2016)
Why us and not the elephants? (November 2015)
Supplements: Proceed with caution (August 2015)
Pharmacogenomics: Personalized medicine in action (August 2015)
Drugs blocking tumor proteins offer hope for cancer outcomes (June 2015)
Mixed nuts with mixed results (June 2015)
Media Interviews
“Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50,” USA Today
“What causes early-onset colon cancer? New research offers clues,” Business Insider
“Should runners be worried about colon cancer?” Runner’s World Magazine
“Could marathons be linked to colon cancer?” Katie Couric Media
“Marathon runners may face higher colon cancer risk, new study suggests,” Health.com
“Colon cancer linked to marathons, half-marathons and long-distance running,” The Economic Times
Patient Reviews
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