My job is ultimately about the trust that comes from a long-term relationship.  I am honored that people choose me to care for them and their extended families, and I do my best to give thoughtful and evidenced based advice.  Each of us has unique goals for our long term health, and I really enjoy giving people guidance in this realm.  I also enjoy the challenge of my work.  Each day is extremely diverse and forces me to stay continually current.  When I am not at work, I love competing in triathlon and cycling events, skiing, travel, and being outside.  I also adore being a father to my three daughters.

I grew up in a small town in Northern New York, and joined South Shore Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital in 2012. I completed my undergraduate and medical education as well as my general surgical training and surgical critical care fellowship at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. I am also fellowship trained in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery from Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. I have had a long-standing passion in bariatric and weight-loss surgery and my goal in joining the South Shore Hospital team was to bring that expertise and opportunity to the South Shore community. The hospital has been very supportive in this endeavor and over the past few years we have created a collaborative team of providers from across institutions to start the South Shore Hospital Center for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. As medical director it has been my pleasure to help the program grow into a strong clinical component  of the department of surgery and create more outreach into the community. I am also actively engaged as a trauma surgeon and have a busy general surgery practice taking care of a variety of disease processes including the minimally invasive management of gallbladder disease, hernia, GERD, hiatal hernias, as well as the surgical management of a variety of other gastrointestinal disorders. When I am not working, I enjoy the simple things in life like relaxing by a large campfire or spending the day at the beach with my family. 

Dr. Christopher Cannell is a doctoral-trained Physician Associate with over 22 years of multidisciplinary clinical experience in Emergency Medicine (CAQ-EM), Orthopedics, Critical Care, and Internal Medicine. He is nationally recognized for his leadership and expertise in healthcare quality, patient safety, and risk mitigation.  He is a frequent invited speaker on Provider Clinical Risk Management and a blogger for medical liability companies on these critical topics.

Dr. Cannell is a successful entrepreneur leading a six-figure consulting firm where he also trains and encourages other healthcare provider entrepreneurs to explore their passions, niches, and grow their own business.

Dr. Cannell has held key leadership positions including current President of PAs in Legal Medicine, Board of Directors for the Academy of Doctoral PAs and previously with Massachusetts Association of PAs, and Board Advisor for the SCUHS Doctor of Medical Science program. He has led clinical teams as an APC Director, Department Lead, healthcare system, program manager and thought leader and Chair of APC career letter committee, driving innovation in quality improvement, documentation, onboarding, population management, operations, and value-based care initiatives across health systems.  Created POCUS acute care program for PAs and NPs at the largest community hospital in Massachusetts in alignment with the department ultrasound director. 

Dr. Cannell is an experienced medical professional legal consultant (MPLC) and expert witness, certified through Auburn University and The Center for Legal Studies. He has over 8 years of experience providing expert witness and consulting services focused on clinical risk assessment, discovery, and standard of care.  His collaborative consulting work spans clinicians, legal teams, malpractice insurance consultants, executives, AI technology, and life sciences organizations.

A dedicated educator and mentor, Dr. Cannell serves as Assistant Professor Doctor of Medical Science Program at The University of Lynchburg, current adjunct faculty for the Doctor of Medical Science Program at Marshall B. Ketchum University and also previously with South College (Healthcare Law & Policy), and currently for Northeastern University School of Medical Sciences PA Program, and the Tufts School of Medicine PA Program. He is a subject matter expert in generative AI development, educational consulting for early career and transitional career NPs and PA’s, and interprofessional collaboration to advance the Quadruple Aim.

Dr. Cannell completed leadership training in Just Culture, High Reliability, as well as patient safety through the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). He earned his DMSc from the University of Lynchburg, MPAS from MCPHS–Boston, and BA in Pre-Medical Studies and Psychology from Muhlenberg College. He has done additional leadership training from AAPA from The Center for Healthcare Leadership and Management.

I enjoy caring for children through each stage of development. Promoting lifelong health is important but I also feel confident using medical expertise and resources to support families through acute and chronic illness. Outside of work I love spending time with my husband and two daughters.

I enjoy the challenge of the diagnostic process of medicine, which is one of the many reasons I have chosen to work as a nocturnist, which is a hospital-based physician who works overnight. In my free time, I've been known to read books about the American Revolution and Colonial Period, or attend hard rock/metal concerts. Also, '90s music is in my head all of the time. 

My journey to becoming a physician has led me not only to multiple states, but also abroad to Haiti and Jordan on medical mission trips. I am continually learning from my patients and their experiences. I translate this clinical knowledge to all of my new patients. 

Outside of work I enjoy exercising, traveling, and spending time with my family

I enjoy getting to work with patients in the inpatient hospital setting. As a hospitalist, I am able to work collaboratively not only with the hospitalist team itself, but also with specialists, nurses, case managers and all of the hospital staff. I appreciate being able to build relationships with patients as well. I enjoy the variety and challenges that come with working as a hospitalist. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with family and friends and I am a fan of the Patriots, the Celtics and U.S. Soccer.

I have had the pleasure of practicing in surgical specialties in community-based hospitals over the last several years. I love working in community hospitals because it is small enough to give patients personalized care but also large enough to provide the best specialized care. Outside of work, I enjoy baking, taking care of my chickens and hiking.

My philosophy is to always take the time to listen to the patient's concerns and do my best to address them.

My mission is to help patients find out their disease, assist in curing it and live healthy life.

With compassionate care, I love to help people come out of their suffering. I believe that every individual is different so we should respect them and treat appropriately. Good communication is always very crucial. During my free time I love to listen music, play guitar. Also, I like meditation, yoga/ pranayam. However, most importantly I love spending time with my family.

The root of the word “doctor” originated from the latin word docere, which means to teach. My philosophy as a doctor is to teach and educate my patients on their conditions and general health.

I love to learn and, therefore, I chose being a doctor as my profession. Being a physician means a life time of learning about diseases and medicine, but more importantly, I get to learn the story behind each of my patients.

Outside of work, I love to learn to sail, and flying. I am also an avid rock climber, hiker, and traveler.