WOMEN MAKING HISTORY 2026: Dr. Stacy Leatherwood Cannon: A Lifetime Commitment to Children, Community, and Purpose | A Chronicle News Community Spotlight Series

Courtesy Photo: Stacy Leatherwood Cannon M.D. For more than 26 years, Dr. Leatherwood -Cannon has dedicated her career to caring for children and strengthening communities through medicine. Today she serves as a Senior Staff Attending Physician at Henry Ford Health and a champion for childhood wellness.

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Some people discover their calling over time. For Dr. Stacy Leatherwood Cannon, the calling came early.

At just four years old, she already knew she wanted to become a pediatrician.

Today, more than 26 years into her medical career, Dr. Cannon serves as a Senior Staff Attending Physician at Henry Ford Health in Detroit and is recognized as a Physician Champion for Childhood Wellness, dedicating her life to the health, development, and future of children.

But her work extends far beyond the exam room.

Dr. Cannon’s journey into medicine was shaped by purpose and reinforced during her training at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, one of the nation’s most respected historically Black medical institutions. The school’s mission to serve the underserved deeply influenced the path she would take.

That mission continues to guide her work today.

Practicing in Detroit, a city where nearly 75 percent of the population reflects her own identity and where over a third of residents live in poverty, Dr. Cannon remains committed to ensuring that every child receives quality care regardless of their circumstances.

“People of color and those in low-income communities often receive suboptimal care,” she explains. “I work to provide quality medical care to all people.”

Representation also plays a powerful role in her work.

For many of the children she treats, Dr. Cannon may be the first physician who looks like them. And sometimes, she may be the only one they ever encounter.

She embraces that responsibility with intention.

“I want to inspire them to dream big and become leaders in their communities,” she says.

But her vision extends beyond medicine. Dr. Cannon is equally passionate about empowering women to step fully into their purpose and leadership.

“I would like to encourage women to pursue their purpose and dream big. We need more women willing to share their gifts with their families and communities.”

She believes raising children who are physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy is one of the most important investments society can make.

“These children are not just the future,” she says. “They are impacting their communities right now.”

Dr. Cannon also speaks candidly about the importance of unity among women.

“As women, we should encourage and build one another up,” she says. “We must stand together and face the challenges of this world arm in arm.”

Her message is clear: the women in our lives, sisters, cousins, friends, and colleagues, should be the ones who stand in the gap when encouragement, wisdom, or strength is needed.

Grounded deeply in her faith, Dr. Cannon encourages women everywhere to remain anchored in purpose.

“Seek God first. Know your purpose and pursue it passionately. Become all that God has called you to be.”

Through her work as a physician, mentor, and advocate for children, Dr. Stacy Leatherwood Cannon continues to live out that calling, ensuring that the next generation grows up healthier, stronger, and inspired to lead.