John Cannell
Encyclopedia
John Jacob Cannell, M.D. (born June 21, 1948, Washington, D.C.) is an American activist, most notably taking a stand on the Vitamin D
deficiency epidemic. In the past, he contributed to such areas of public debate as Black Lung
legislation, and the problems with educational testing. In recent years, Dr. Cannell has taken an active role in educating the public about the health benefits of Vitamin D. He is the founder of the Vitamin D Council.
. In 1972, he graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park
with a degree in Zoology. He attended medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
, and graduated in 1976. He is a member of the American Medical Association
, and became a board-certified Psychiatrist in 1993.
Friends for Education also filed sexual discrimination complaints against the West Virginia State Department of Education, claiming women held 80% of the low paying teaching jobs, but men held 80% of the higher paying administrative positions. They had filed similar complaints in Raleigh County just 18 months earlier.
In 1988, Cannell set out to find out the rankings of poverty-stricken states, such as Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Kentucky—interestingly, they were all "above the national average." This reminded Cannell of "Lake Woebegone," Garrison Keillor's mythical Minnesota town where "all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." Cannell collected test results from all 50 states—which, of course, were all "above the national average" and got the attention of the national press including the New York Times, NBC Television and the Wall Street Journal.
As of 1999 and with even more recent studies, U.S. states still report being "above the national average".
and the second on vitamin D and autism.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids. In humans, vitamin D is unique both because it functions as a prohormone and because the body can synthesize it when sun exposure is adequate ....
deficiency epidemic. In the past, he contributed to such areas of public debate as Black Lung
Coalworker's pneumoconiosis
Coal workers' pneumoconiosis , colloquially referred to as black lung disease, is caused by long exposure to coal dust. It is a common affliction of coal miners and others who work with coal, similar to both silicosis from inhaling silica dust, and to the long-term effects of tobacco smoking...
legislation, and the problems with educational testing. In recent years, Dr. Cannell has taken an active role in educating the public about the health benefits of Vitamin D. He is the founder of the Vitamin D Council.
Early life
Cannell is the son of the late imagist poet Skipwith CannellSkipwith Cannell
Skipwith Cannell was an American poet associated with the Imagist group. His surname is pronounced with the accent on the second syllable. He was a friend of William Carlos Williams, and like Ezra Pound he came from Philadelphia...
. In 1972, he graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
with a degree in Zoology. He attended medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, and graduated in 1976. He is a member of the American Medical Association
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
, and became a board-certified Psychiatrist in 1993.
Black Lung Debate
In 1988, Dr. Cannell's work on anti-smoking was noticed by the New York Times. Cannell was airing anti-smoking commercials on local television featuring a woman dying of emphysema, hiring teenage workers to distribute anti-smoking material, and even turning away patients who smoked from his rural clinic in Flat Top, WV. Dr. Cannell eventually gave up the battle as it was discovered that coalminers smoked to qualify for the Black Lung Benefits Act.Lake Woebegone and fraudulent educational testing
Cannell formed the nonprofit Friends for Education, in 1986 which began a grassroots organization to reform the public education system. Noticing how filthy the local schools were, Friends for Education began a "Dirtiest Public School in West Virginia Contest," the winner of which would get $100.00 worth of mops, brooms, and soap from Friends for Education. School officials were outraged, but the mops came out of the closet and the schools seemed to get cleaner.Friends for Education also filed sexual discrimination complaints against the West Virginia State Department of Education, claiming women held 80% of the low paying teaching jobs, but men held 80% of the higher paying administrative positions. They had filed similar complaints in Raleigh County just 18 months earlier.
In 1988, Cannell set out to find out the rankings of poverty-stricken states, such as Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Kentucky—interestingly, they were all "above the national average." This reminded Cannell of "Lake Woebegone," Garrison Keillor's mythical Minnesota town where "all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." Cannell collected test results from all 50 states—which, of course, were all "above the national average" and got the attention of the national press including the New York Times, NBC Television and the Wall Street Journal.
As of 1999 and with even more recent studies, U.S. states still report being "above the national average".
The Vitamin D Council
In 2003, he recruited professional colleagues, friends, and family for a board of directors and took the steps necessary to incorporate The Vitamin D Council as a tax exempt, nonprofit, 501(c)(e) corporation. Dr Cannell is currently the executive director of the Vitamin D Council. He is the author of two recent theories concerning vitamin D. The first is on vitamin D and influenzaVitamin D and influenza
Numerous studies link vitamin D and influenza, as well as vitamin D and respiratory infections more generally. This vitamin up-regulates genetic expression of various endogenous antimicrobial peptides , which exhibit broad-spectrum microbicidal activity against bacteria, fungi, and viruses...
and the second on vitamin D and autism.