Francis Cannizzo MD

Dr. Francis Cannizzo is an accomplished physician executive with extensive leadership experience in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), academic medicine, and integrated health systems. He previously served as Executive Chief of Staff for the VA New York Harbor Healthcare System in New York City and as Chief of Staff for the Salem VA Health Care System in Virginia.

Before joining the VA, Dr. Cannizzo served as Director of Surgical Oncology for Hartford HealthCare and the Western Connecticut Health Network. He also held faculty appointments at the University of Connecticut and the University of Vermont. Earlier in his career, he led clinical operations for the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre consulting team in Kuwait, where he spearheaded educational and clinical modernization initiatives and helped implement the first electronic medical record within the Kuwaiti health system.

Dr. Cannizzo earned his Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Pathology, specializing in cancer research, through the combined MD/PhD program at Boston University. He completed his general surgery residency at Downstate Medical Center/Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, followed by a fellowship in Surgical Oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York. He later joined Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he pioneered minimally invasive liver and foregut surgery.

Board certified in both General Surgery and Clinical Informatics, Dr. Cannizzo is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the Society of Surgical Oncology. He also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Healthcare Administration from the University of Massachusetts Isenberg School of Management, along with certificates in Clinical Nutritional Support, Health Informatics Leadership, and Health Policy and Management.

Dr. Cannizzo and his wife, Dr. Susan Cash, are both proud Veterans of the United States Army Reserve. Together, they have served multiple overseas deployments in Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, West Africa, and aboard the USNS Mercy in Southeast Asia, reflecting their longstanding commitment to military service, global health, and the care of those who have served.