In addition, as an RN of over 35 years, Dr. Cannon has served in various roles including nursing administration, psychiatric nursing, and as a forensic nurse, engaged in a high-level of volunteer service, ran her own company for Nurse Consulting and Education, and has spearheaded many projects to help the local and global communities by fundraising through her own organizations and businesses. She has provided community service while Coroner through volunteering her RN services to give COVID 19 vaccines and boosters, along with flu shots and other health related checkups, with the Vuela Health Services, to the underserved populations of Colorado. She also volunteered her time to assist JeffCo Public Health with giving COVID vaccines to the public at the administration building. Dr. Cannon is a professional who is committed to her current role, has a strong work ethic, and has strived through many struggles to be successful.

In addition, as Coroner, she serves as a board member within the county on groups such as the Child Fatality Review Board, the Commissioner-appointed Regional Emergency and Trauma Advisory Council, the Governor-appointed Colorado Coroner Standards and Training Board, the FCI Englewood Bureau of Prisons Community Board, the North Central Region Fatality Management Board, and on a personal level she serves on the board for Jefferson County District Nurses, PEO, the nursing honor society Sigma Theta Tau International – Alpha Kappa Chapter and is the Chair of the SIG committee on Death Investigation through the Academy of Forensic Nurses. In the past, she served over a decade as a board member on the Senator-appointed Taskforce for the Mentally Ill Juvenile in the Criminal Justice system and served on the Area Health Education Center team to address Opioid and Prescription Drug Issues in our mountain communities. She is currently involved with several committees and teams, including the Executive Law Enforcement Team, the JeffCo Substance Use Partnership, JeffCo Mental Health – Suicide Prevention, and the Injury Prevention Team.

Dr. Cannon has gained certification as a Death Investigator from the Colorado Coroner’s Association and is also certified through the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators as a Diplomat level Death Investigator. She is certified with the Level 4 Criminal Justice Information System recognition. She has completed certification for Fingerprint processing and comparison from Texas A&M Engineering through the Texas Forensic Science Academy and has completed training through the Academy of Forensic Nurses regarding adult and adolescent death case reviews, pregnancy homicide risks, and interpersonal violence with strangulation, child abuse: non-accidental trauma, and rape cases. She has completed training on investigating and classifying overdose deaths and conducting sexual assault investigations. She has completed training through the Center for Forensic Science, Research, and Education on the collision of COVID and the Opioid Epidemic, methamphetamine caused and related deaths, complications of Naloxone reversals that still lead to death, sample collection practices that can lead to elevated or lower blood drug concentrations, and the impact of postmortem redistribution in the interpretation of postmortem toxicology. She has also completed the Colorado Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Investigation training.

Dr. Cannon has continued to attend the death investigator training each year and complete the required amount of CEU’s to remain certified, along with the required hours of investigations, case reviews, and autopsy viewings, to satisfy board requirements for serving as the Coroner; and she keeps up on her nursing CEU’s as well by attending the Colorado Nurses Association Conference each year, along with Medscape training on topics such as Kratom, new consequences of the Opioid Epidemic: infective endocarditis, opioid prescribing: rural vs urban trends, turning tides in opioid prescribing, and pediatric opioid related deaths. She has also completed training with the National Transportation Safety Board, the FBI, DHHS and DOD, on Aviation Disaster Response: Federal Support of the Medicolegal Authority. Since taking office, she has been awarded as “Nurse of the Year” from the Colorado Nurses Association-District 20 Nurses (2018), the Doris J. Biester Award for “Excellence in Leadership” (2019) and recognized as the Alumni of the Year (2020) from Metropolitan State University.

Dr. Cannon, along with three other forensic nursing and ABMDI colleagues, have published a peer reviewed article in the Journal of Forensic Nursing on Nurses and Medicolegal Death Investigation (Vol 16, Num 4, Oct/Dec 2020), and provided a four-hour bootcamp series to the Academy of Forensic Nurses, in addition to other published journal articles. She continues to develop forensic training avenues for nurses and collaborate with groups to explore unique education possibilities. She is involved with the Colorado Black Nurses Association’s program: Nurses in Space, and has presented on the topic of a ‘Coroners in Space’ and continues to be involved with the Center for Nursing Excellence in Simulation collaboration. She presented at the International Coroner and Medical Examiner’s Conference in July 2021 on “Everyday Opioids and What We Miss.” She will be presenting this case review again at the Colorado Coroner’s Association Conference in Denver in June 2022. She presented to the Colorado Nurses Association on the “Opioid Epidemic – The Colorado Experience”. Dr. Cannon has currently connected with the JeffCo Substance Use Partnership group and the AG’s office, and is discussing the implementation of an Overdose Fatality Review Board. Development of this board is a future goal for 2023.

She provides in person and virtual training to law enforcement, colleges, nursing students, physicians, hospitals, different organizations, such as Rotary clubs, Kiwanis, Chambers of Commerce, and different business communities. In the past, she has published two books: Mental Health Crisis (2014) (ISBN: 978-3-659-66109-9) and An Investigation of How Inadequate Mental Health Resources Have Created a Mental Health Crisis for Incarcerated Juveniles with Mental Illness (2005). She is a member of Research Gate and has published several articles and developed a simulation model. One of her future goals for the Coroner’s office is to develop a death simulation for nurse and medicolegal death investigator training in 2023.

Dr. Cannon takes her role as Coroner very seriously. She and been very active, engaged, and transparent in her role for Jefferson County and displaying what it means to be a true public servant. She knows that her team is the strength of the office. It is one of the best teams she has had the honor of working with during her career. She believes that the people of Jefferson County are fortunate to have such a dedicated, knowledgeable, and compassionate group of certified deputy coroner investigators, a certified chief deputy coroner, administrators, forensic autopsy techs, and board-certified forensic pathologists working for them. She has made many improvements to the Jefferson County Coroner’s office since being elected in 2018, including policy and procedure updates, new equipment, and addressing pay equity — along with keeping everyone safe during the pandemic. Her interests are with public safety, public health, suicide prevention, and overdose prevention.

Since taking office in 2018 Dr. Cannon has developed the following with her team: The Mission: ‘We determine the cause and manner of death through comprehensive investigations” The Vision: “To be the leader in Coroner offices within Colorado” Our Values: “Professionalism, Compassion, and Teamwork” Our Office Goals are set yearly: 2019: Focus on the Good, 2020: Professionalism, Compassion, Teamwork, 2021: Beyond Resilience: Adapting, Innovating and Transforming, 2022: Committing to Excellence. These goals align with the Jefferson County Strategic Plan. As she continues to adhere to these values, she sets office goals and objectives for the team, sets realistic benchmarks, and implements changes that follow best practices.

Dr. Cannon is committed to making the Jefferson County Coroner’s office the leader in the state of Colorado. Won’t you join her by Voting for Annette Cannon for Coroner on November 8, 2022. Please also consider a contribution to her campaign by clicking on the donation button at the top of the page! Together, we can continue to make the difference!