Grant W. Cannon

Grant W. Cannon, MD

Languages spoken: English, French

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Internal Medicine

Divisions: Rheumatology

Board Certification

  • American Board of Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine)
  • American Board of Internal Medicine (Sub: Rheumatology)

Grant W. Cannon is Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of Utah and Associate Chief of Staff for Academic Affiliations at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System.


He received his education and postgraduate training at the University of Utah, completing his Doctor of Medicine Degree in 1979, Internal Medicine Residency in 1982, and Rheumatology Fellowship in 1984.

His work has focused on clinical trials of anti-rheumatic drugs and basic science research in animal models of arthritis. Clinical research involved participation in multi-centered clinical trials of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and seronegative spondyloarthropathies. His most recent work has evaluated patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the VA rheumatoid arthritis (VARA) registry. Dr. Cannon has merged data from the VARA registry with VA administrative databases to evaluate pharmacoepidemiology issues and drug adherence in these patients.

Research Statement

Dr. Cannon's work has focused on clinical trials of anti-rheumatic drugs and basic science research in animal models of arthritis. Clinical research involved participation in multi-centered clinical trials of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and seronegative spondyloarthropathies. His most recent work has evaluated patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the VA rheumatoid arthritis (VARA) registry. Dr. Cannon has merged data from the VARA registry with VA administrative databases to evaluate pharmacoepidemiology issues and drug adherence in these patients.

Education History

Undergraduate University of Utah
 BA
Professional Medical University of Utah Hospital School of Medicine
 MD
Internship University of Utah School of Medicine
 Intern
Residency University of Utah School of Medicine
 Resident
Fellowship University of Utah School of Medicine
 Fellow

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Walsh JA, Pei S, Penmetsa G, Hansen JL, Cannon GW, Clegg DO, Sauer B (2019). Identification of Axial Spondyloarthritis Patients in a Large Dataset: The Development and Validation of Novel Methods. The Journal of rheumatology, 47(1), 42-49. (Read full article)
  2. Nelson RE, Ma J, Miller K, Lawrence P, LaFleur J, Grotzke M, Barker A, Cannon GW, Battistone M (2019). The impact of a musculoskeletal training program on residents' recognition and treatment of osteoporosis. BMC medical education, 19(1), 223. (Read full article)
  3. Cannon GW, Erickson AR, Teng CC, Huynh T, Austin S, Wade SW, Stolshek BS, Collier DH, Mutebi A, Sauer B (2019). Tumor necrosis factor inhibitor exposure and radiographic outcomes in Veterans with rheumatoid arthritis: a longitudinal cohort study. 3(1),
  4. Luedders BA, Cope BJ, Hershberger D, DeVries M, Campbell WS, Campbell J, Roul P, Yang Y, Rojas J, Cannon GW, Sauer BC, Baker JF, Curtis JR, Mikuls TR, England B (2023). Enhancing the identification of rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease through text mining of chest computerized tomography reports. Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism, 60, 152204. (Read full article)
  5. Dolomisiewicz A, Ali H, Roul P, Yang Y, Cannon GW, Sauer B, Baker JF, Mikuls TR, Michaud K, England B (2023). Updating and Validating the Rheumatic Disease Comorbidity Index to Incorporate ICD-10-CM Diagnostic Codes. Arthritis care & research, 75(10), 2199-2206. (Read full article)
  6. Johnson TM, Yang Y, Roul P, Sauer BC, Cannon GW, Kunkel G, Michaud K, Baker JF, Mikuls TR, England B (2022). A Narrowing Mortality Gap: Temporal Trends of Cause-Specific Mortality in a National Matched Cohort Study in US Veterans With Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis care & research, (Read full article)
  7. Mulcaire-Jones E, Barker AM, Beck JP, Lawrence P, Cannon GW, Battistone M (2022). Impact of a Musculoskeletal "Mini-Residency" Professional Development Program on Knee Magnetic Resonance Imaging Orders by Primary Care Providers. Journal of clinical rheumatology, 28(5), 245-249. (Read full article)
  8. England BR, Campany M, Sayles H, Roul P, Yang Y, Ganti AK, Sokolove J, Robinson WH, Reimold AM, Kerr GS, Cannon GW, Sauer BC, Baker JF, Thiele GM, Mikuls T (2021). Associations of serum cytokines and chemokines with the risk of incident cancer in a prospective rheumatoid arthritis cohort. International immunopharmacology, 97, 107719. (Read full article)
  9. Ebel AV, Lutt G, Poole JA, Thiele GM, Baker JF, Cannon GW, Gaffo A, Kerr GS, Reimold A, Schwab P, Singh N, Richards JS, Ascherman DP, Mikuls TR, England B (2021). Association of Agricultural, Occupational, and Military Inhalants With Autoantibodies and Disease Features in US Veterans With Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.), 73(3), 392-400. (Read full article)
  10. Sauer BC, Chen W, Shen J, Accortt NA, Collier DH, Cannon G (2021). Potential for Major Therapeutic Changes to Produce Significant Clinical Response Across a Broad Range of Disease Activity: An Observational Study of US Veterans With Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis care & research, 73(7), 964-974. (Read full article)
  11. Chiou A, England BR, Sayles H, Thiele GM, Duryee MJ, Baker JF, Singh N, Cannon GW, Kerr GS, Reimold A, Gaffo A, Mikuls T (2020). Coexistent Hyperuricemia and Gout in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Associations With Comorbidities, Disease Activity, and Mortality. Arthritis care & research, 72(7), 950-958. (Read full article)
  12. Cannon GW, Rojas J, Reimold A, Mikuls TR, Bergman D, Sauer B (2019). Extraction of Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Measures From Electronic Health Records Using Automated Processing Algorithms. ACR open rheumatology, 1(10), 632-639. (Read full article)
  13. Cannon GW, Erickson AR, Teng CC, Huynh T, Austin S, Wade SW, Stolshek BS, Collier DH, Mutebi A, Sauer B (2019). Tumour necrosis factor inhibitor exposure and radiographic outcomes in Veterans with rheumatoid arthritis: a longitudinal cohort study. Rheumatology advances in practice, 3(1), rkz015. (Read full article)
  14. Cannon GW, Mikuls TR, Hayden CL, Ying J, Curtis JR, Reimold AM, Caplan L, Kerr GS, Richards JS, Johnson DS, Sauer B (2011). Merging Veterans Affairs rheumatoid arthritis registry and pharmacy data to assess methotrexate adherence and disease activity in clinical practice. Arthritis care & research, 63(12), 1680-90. (Read full article)
  15. Kaminetzky CP, Keitz SA, Kashner TM, Aron DC, Byrne JM, Chang BK, Clarke C, Gilman SC, Holland GJ, Wicker A, Cannon G (2011). Training satisfaction for subspecialty fellows in internal medicine: findings from the Veterans Affairs (VA) Learners' Perceptions Survey. BMC medical education, 11, 21. (Read full article)
  16. O'Dell JR, Brophy MT, Pillinger MH, Neogi T, Palevsky PM, Wu H, Davis-Karim A, Newcomb JA, Ferguson R, Pittman D, Cannon GW, Taylor T, Terkeltaub R, Cannella AC, England BR, Helget LN, Mikuls T (2022). Comparative Effectiveness of Allopurinol and Febuxostat in Gout Management. NEJM evidence, 1(3), (Read full article)
  17. Wheeler AM, Roul P, Yang Y, Brittan KM, Sayles H, Singh N, Sauer BC, Cannon GW, Baker JF, Mikuls TR, England B (2023). Risk of Prostate Cancer in US Veterans With Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis care & research, 75(4), 785-792. (Read full article)
  18. Sauer BC, Chen W, Xu Y, Shen J, Accortt NA, Collier DH, Cannon G (2020). Empirical evidence of disease activity thresholds used to indicate need for major therapeutic change in US veterans with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis research & therapy, 22(1), 253. (Read full article)
  19. Maynard C, Mikuls TR, Cannon GW, England BR, Conaghan PG, Østergaard M, Baker DG, Kerr G, George MD, Barton JL, Baker J (2020). Sex Differences in the Achievement of Remission and Low Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis care & research, 72(3), 326-333. (Read full article)
  20. Keitz SA, Aron DC, Brannen JL, Byrne JM, Cannon GW, Clarke CT, Gilman SC, Hettler DL, Kaminetzky CP, Zeiss RA, Bernett DS, Wicker AB, Kashner T (2019). Impact of clinical training on recruiting graduating health professionals. The American journal of managed care, 25(4), e111-e118. (Read full article)
  21. Kerr GS, Sabahi I, Richards JS, Caplan L, Cannon GW, Reimold A, Thiele GM, Johnson D, Mikuls T (2011). Prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency in rheumatoid arthritis and associations with disease severity and activity. The Journal of rheumatology, 38(1), 53-9. (Read full article)
  22. Mikuls TR, Fay BT, Michaud K, Sayles H, Thiele GM, Caplan L, Johnson D, Richards JS, Kerr GS, Cannon GW, Reimold (2011). Associations of disease activity and treatments with mortality in men with rheumatoid arthritis: results from the VARA registry. Rheumatology (Oxford, England), 50(1), 101-9. (Read full article)
  23. Kashner TM, Byrne JM, Chang BK, Henley SS, Golden RM, Aron DC, Cannon GW, Gilman SC, Holland GJ, Kaminetzky CP, Keitz SA, Muchmore EA, Kashner TK, Wicker A (2010). Measuring progressive independence with the resident supervision index: empirical approach. Journal of graduate medical education, 2(1), 17-30. (Read full article)
  24. Mikuls TR, Gould KA, Bynoté KK, Yu F, Levan TD, Thiele GM, Michaud KD, O'Dell JR, Reimold AM, Hooker R, Caplan L, Johnson DS, Kerr G, Richards JS, Cannon GW, Criswell LA, Noble JA, Bridges SL Jr, Hughes L, Gregersen P (2010). Anticitrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) in rheumatoid arthritis: influence of an interaction between HLA-DRB1 shared epitope and a deletion polymorphism in glutathione S-transferase in a cross-sectional study. Arthritis research & therapy, 12(6), R213. (Read full article)
  25. Cannon GW, Keitz SA, Holland GJ, Chang BK, Byrne JM, Tomolo A, Aron DC, Wicker AB, Kashner T (2008). Factors determining medical students' and residents' satisfaction during VA-based training: findings from the VA Learners' Perceptions Survey. Academic medicine, 83(6), 611-20. (Read full article)
  26. Cohen S, Cannon GW, Schiff M, Weaver A, Fox R, Olsen N, Furst D, Sharp J, Moreland L, Caldwell J, Kaine J, Strand (2001). Two-year, blinded, randomized, controlled trial of treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis with leflunomide compared with methotrexate. Utilization of Leflunomide in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis Trial Investigator Group. Arthritis and rheumatism, 44(9), 1984-92. (Read full article)
  27. Meng HC, Griffiths MM, Remmers EF, Kawahito Y, Li W, Neisa R, Cannon GW, Wilder RL, Gulko P (2004). Identification of two novel female-specific non-major histocompatibility complex loci regulating collagen-induced arthritis severity and chronicity, and evidence of epistasis. Arthritis and rheumatism, 50(8), 2695-705. (Read full article)
  28. Davis LA, Cannon GW, Pointer LF, Haverhals LM, Wolff RK, Mikuls TR, Reimold AM, Kerr GS, Richards JS, Johnson DS, Valuck R, Prochazka A, Caplan (2013). Cardiovascular events are not associated with MTHFR polymorphisms, but are associated with methotrexate use and traditional risk factors in US veterans with rheumatoid arthritis. The Journal of rheumatology, 40(6), 809-17. (Read full article)
  29. Walsh JA, Pei S, Penmetsa GK, Sauer BC, Patil V, Walker JH, Clewell J, Douglas KM, Clegg DO, Cannon GW, Halwani (2019). Treatment Patterns with Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs in U.S. Veterans with Newly Diagnosed Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, or Ankylosing Spondylitis. Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy, 25(11), 1218-1228. (Read full article)
  30. England BR, Roul P, Mahajan TD, Singh N, Yu F, Sayles H, Cannon GW, Sauer BC, Baker JF, Curtis JR, Mikuls T (2020). Performance of Administrative Algorithms to Identify Interstitial Lung Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis care & research, 72(10), 1392-1403. (Read full article)
  31. Wheeler AM, Baker JF, Poole JA, Ascherman DP, Yang Y, Kerr GS, Reimold A, Kunkel G, Cannon GW, Wysham KD, Singh N, Lazaro D, Monach P, Bridges SL Jr, Mikuls TR, England B (2022). Genetic, social, and environmental risk factors in rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease. Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism, 57, 152098. (Read full article)
  32. Aripova N, Thiele GM, Duryee MJ, Hunter CD, Yang Y, Roul P, Ascherman DP, Matson SM, Kunkel G, Cannon GW, Wysham KD, Kerr GS, Monach PA, Baker JF, Poole JA, Mikuls TR, England B (2024). Antibodies to Malondialdehyde-Acetaldehyde Adduct Are Associated with Prevalent and Incident Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease in U.S. Veterans. Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.), 76(9), 1353-1363. (Read full article)
  33. Song S, England BR, Sauer B, George MD, Riley TR, Wallace B, Cannon GW, Mikuls TR, Baker J (2024). Changes in Characteristics of Patients Initiating and Discontinuing Advanced Therapies for Rheumatoid Arthritis Following the Release of Safety Data. Arthritis care & research, 76(4), 463-469. (Read full article)
  34. Luedders BA, Wheeler AM, Ascherman DP, Baker JF, Duryee MJ, Yang Y, Roul P, Wysham KD, Monach P, Reimold A, Kerr GS, Kunkel G, Cannon GW, Poole JA, Thiele GM, Mikuls TR, England B (2024). Plasma Matrix Metalloproteinase Concentrations and Risk of Interstitial Lung Disease in a Prospective Rheumatoid Arthritis Cohort. Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.), (Read full article)
  35. Wheeler AM, Baker JF, Riley T, Yang Y, Roul P, Wysham KD, Cannon GW, Kunkel G, Kerr G, Ascherman DP, Monach P, Reimold A, Poole JA, Merriman TR, Mikuls TR, England B (2024). Development and Internal Validation of a Clinical and Genetic Risk Score for Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease. Rheumatology (Oxford, England), (Read full article)
  36. Baker JF, England BR, Wysham KD, Sauer B, Joseph AM, Lenert A, Roul P, Xiao R, Gillcrist R, Johnson T, Cannon GW, Duryee M, Thiele GM, Mikuls T (2024). Associations between Adiponectin and the Development of Diabetes in Rheumatoid Arthritis. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 109(10), e1839-e1846. (Read full article)
  37. England BR, Roul P, Yang Y, Hershberger D, Sayles H, Rojas J, Cannon GW, Sauer BC, Curtis JR, Baker JF, Mikuls T (2024). Extracting forced vital capacity from the electronic health record through natural language processing in rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease. Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety, 33(1), e5744. (Read full article)
  38. Poole JA, England BR, Sayles H, Johnson TM, Duryee MJ, Hunter CD, Baker JF, Kerr GS, Kunkel G, Cannon GW, Sauer BC, Wysham KD, Joseph AM, Wallace BI, Thiele GM, Mikuls T (2023). Serum alarmins and the risk of incident interstitial lung disease in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford, England), 63(7), 1998-2005. (Read full article)
  39. Jeong S, George MD, Mikuls TR, England BR, Sauer B, Cannon GW, Baker J (2023). Changes in Patterns of Use of Advanced Therapies Following Emerging Data About Adverse Events in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis From the Veterans Affairs Health System. ACR open rheumatology, 5(10), 563-567. (Read full article)
  40. Wallace BI, England BR, Baker JF, Rojas J, Sauer BC, Roul P, Kunkel GA, Braaten TJ, Petro A, Mikuls TR, Cannon G (2023). Lowering Expectations: Glucocorticoid Tapering Among Veterans With Rheumatoid Arthritis Achieving Low Disease Activity on Stable Biologic Therapy. ACR open rheumatology, 5(9), 437-442. (Read full article)
  41. Johnson TM, Mahabir CA, Yang Y, Roul P, Goldsweig AM, Binstadt BA, Baker JF, Sauer BC, Cannon GW, Mikuls TR, England B (2023). Aortic Stenosis Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis. JAMA internal medicine, 183(9), 973-81. (Read full article)
  42. Dutt S, Roul P, Yang Y, Johnson TM, Michaud K, Sauer B, Cannon GW, Baker JF, Curtis JR, Mikuls TR, England B (2023). Multimorbidity Patterns and Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Outcomes: Findings From a Multicenter, Prospective Cohort. Arthritis care & research, (Read full article)
  43. Frideres H, Wichman CS, Dong J, Roul P, Yang Y, Baker JF, George MD, Johnson TM, Rojas J, Sauer BC, Cannon GW, Matson SM, Curtis JR, Mikuls TR, England B (2025). Non-TNFi biologic and targeted synthetic DMARDs in rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease: A propensity score-matched, active-comparator, new-user study. Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism, 73, 152735. (Read full article)
  44. McMenamin KJ, Riley TR 4th, Wipfler K, Michaud K, Wheeler A, England BR, Sauer B, Wysham KD, Xiao R, March M, Cannon GW, Toikumo S, Kranzler HR, Kember RL, Mikuls TR, Baker J (2025). Development and External Validation of a Genetic Risk Score for Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis care & research, (Read full article)
  45. Kronzer VL, Yang Y, Roul P, Crooks JL, Crowson CS, Davis JM 3rd, Sparks JA, Pierce JR, O'Dell K, Sauer BC, Cannon GW, Baker JF, Mikuls TR, England B (2025). Associations of Fire Smoke and Other Pollutants With Incident Rheumatoid Arthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease. Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.), 77(7), 808-816. (Read full article)
  46. Wheeler AM, Baker JF, Riley TR 4th, Johnson TM, Yang Y, Roul P, Wysham KD, Cannon GW, Kunkel G, Kerr G, Ascherman DP, Monach P, Reimold A, Matson S, Poole JA, Duryee MJ, Thiele GM, Mikuls TR, England B (2025). Peripheral Biomarker Signatures in Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease. Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.), (Read full article)
  47. England BR, Baker JF, George MD, Johnson TM, Yang Y, Roul P, Frideres H, Sayles H, Yu F, Matson SM, Rojas J, Sauer BC, Cannon GW, Curtis JR, Mikuls T (2025). Advanced therapies in US veterans with rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease: a retrospective, active-comparator, new-user, cohort study. The Lancet. Rheumatology, 7(3), e166-e177. (Read full article)
  48. Brooks RT, Luedders B, Wheeler A, Johnson TM, Yang Y, Roul P, Ganti AK, Singh N, Sauer BC, Cannon GW, Baker JF, Mikuls TR, England B (2024). The Risk of Lung Cancer in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease. Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.), 76(12), 1730-1738. (Read full article)
  49. Patel S, Walsh J, Pinnell D, Pei S, Chen W, Rojas J, Rathod A, Johnson J, Gawron A, Curtis JR, Baker JF, Cannon GW, Wu D, Lai M, Sauer B (2024). Real-world experience with biosimilar infliximab-adba and infliximab-dyyb among infliximab-naïve patients with inflammatory bowel disease in the Veterans Health Administration. Medicine, 103(37), e39476. (Read full article)
  50. Wallace BI, England BR, Baker JF, George MD, Sauer BC, Rojas J, Roul P, Wysham KD, Brubeck H, Smith I, Caplan L, Monach PA, Kerr GS, Kunkel G, Braaten T, Mikuls TR, Cannon G (2025). Agreement of administrative pharmacy dispensing with self-reported use of oral prednisone in US Veterans with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis care & research, (Read full article)
  51. Riley TR, Wheeler AM, Cannon GW, Sauer B, Wysham KD, England BR, Wipfler K, Michaud K, March M, Damrauer SM, Verma A, George MD, Mikuls TR, Baker J (2025). Genetically-determined variation in CRP impacts disease activity assessment in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford, England), 64(6), 3921-3928. (Read full article)
  52. Naik A, Baraff A, Wysham KD, Liew JW, England BR, Roul P, George M, Baker JF, Barton JL, Makris UE, Kerr G, Cannon GW, Mikuls TR, Singh (2025). Escalation to Biologics After Methotrexate Among US Veterans With Rheumatoid Arthritis Grouped by Rural Versus Urban Areas. Arthritis care & research, 77(1), 23-29. (Read full article)
  53. Klein J, Wheeler A, Baker JF, Yang Y, Roul P, Frideres H, Wysham KD, Kerr GS, Reimold A, Ascherman DP, Kunkel GA, Cannon GW, Monach PA, Poole JA, Thiele GM, Mikuls TR, England B (2024). MUC5B Promoter Variant and Survival in Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease. Rheumatology (Oxford, England), (Read full article)

Review

  1. Williams HJ, Cannon GW, Clegg D (2024). John R. Ward, MD: Pioneer-Clinical Trials in Rheumatology. Rheumatic diseases clinics of North America, 50(1), 113-121. (Read full article)
  2. Mikuls TR, Baker JF, Cannon GW, England BR, Kerr G, Reimold (2025). The Veterans Affairs Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry: A unique population in rheumatoid arthritis research. Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism, 70S, 152580. (Read full article)

Letter

  1. Kronzer VL, Yang Y, Roul P, Crooks JL, Crowson CS, Davis JM 3rd, Sparks JA, Pierce JR, O'Dell K, Sauer BC, Cannon GW, Baker JF, Mikuls TR, England B (2025). Reply. Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.), (Read full article)