Robert W. Cannon

President, BJC Health System East Region (BJC HealthCare)

Robert Cannon serves as president for BJC Health System’s East Region, which operates as BJC HealthCare. In this role, Robert oversees day-to-day operations for the region, including its acute care and critical access hospitals, ambulatory clinics and post-acute care functions, clinical service lines, hospital throughput, clinical nursing administration, and philanthropy.

Robert was named as president for the East Region in October 2025 after serving as group president for the East Region with responsibility for Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital, Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital, Christian Hospital, Progress West Hospital, and Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing. He has also served as president of Barnes-Jewish Hospital, led strategic planning, capital budgeting, real estate, supply chain operations, and clinical asset management for the corporation, and had executive responsibility for BJC Home Care, BJC Behavioral Health, and BJC Corporate Health.

Before joining BJC in 2000, Robert was assistant dean of the University of Chicago’s Division of the Biological Sciences and Pritzker School of Medicine. His prior experience includes positions with Argonne National Laboratory, Lockheed Corporation, and the federal Office of Management and Budget.

Robert holds a bachelor’s of political science degree from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of California at Los Angeles. He serves on the boards of the Cortex Innovation Community; Association of American Medical Colleges; Vizient Inc.; Washington University Medical Center Redevelopment Corporation; National Council, Washington University Institute for Public Health; and Advisory Council, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, The University of Chicago.