Introducing Dr. John Cannell & DoggyD
When choosing supplements for your family and your pets, personal research is essential. As 2025 draws near, the DoggyD team wants you to get to know our founder, Dr. John Cannell. We’ll also share his mission to improve human and pet health with vitamin D supplements for dogs and people.
Today, we’re publishing Dr. Cannell’s biography. Grab a cup of coffee and get to know us.
Dr. Cannell’s Early Life and Education
Dr. John Jacob Cannell was born on June 21,1948. His father, Skipwith Cannell, was an imagist poet whose influence in literature at home shaped John’s childhood a lot. This setting promoted his scientific inquiries, shaping his interest in public health and medicine.
Dr. Cannell is a 1972 University of Maryland, College Park graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology. He attended medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, graduating in 1976.
This was his foundational training in the biological sciences. It lead to a very eclectic career in which he contributed to public health and psychiatry.
1960s Activism: Anti-Vietnam War Movement and VISTA Volunteer
Early in his career, well before all the medical training, Dr. Cannell was no stranger to social and political activism. During the 1960s, Cannell became a vocal opponent of the Vietnam War, participating in ample anti-war protests, including the infamous 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
The Stewart convention marked a milestone within the anti-war movement. For Cannell, it was the seal on his commitment to peace and social justice. A few years later he joined VISTA, the domestic version of the Peace Corps, to fulfill his commitment to social service. He was stationed in the inner city of Waterbury, Connecticut, where he worked on improving the lives of the impoverished.
These experiences as a VISTA volunteer instilled in him the importance of public service and formed the basis for his later work.
Dr. John Cannell’s Early Medical Career and Public Health Advocacy
In 1979, Cannell established a family medical clinic in the coalfields of Southern Appalachia, an economically challenged area with few health services. That clinic served coal miners and their families, who suffered from chronic health problems because of their jobs and lack of medical facilities. His work in this underserved community showed his commitment to public health and his desire to improve people’s lives.
One of the most striking features of Dr. John Cannell’s public health work was his militancy on the issue of smoking. His anti-smoking crusade targeted coal miners, whose smoking rates were among the highest in the nation. Cannell refused to take any new patients who smoked.
His relentless behavior captured headlines nationwide. In 1988, The New York Times published a story about his efforts. Despite the nature of his crusade, he aimed to prevent illnesses when possible to ensure the best in public health.
The “Lake Woebegone Effect” and Education Reform
In the 1980s, an unexpected turn of events took place in the career of Dr. Cannell leading his work to education reform. He began to notice that many of his young patients had difficulty with their academic performance despite high achievement levels being reported by the schools.
This led Cannell to examine standardized testing practices across the US. In 1987, Dr. John Cannell released his findings that all 50 states reported their students were performing above the national average on standardized tests. This impossible statistical outcome became known as the Lake Woebegone Effect—named for Garrison Keillor’s fictional town where “all the children are above average.”
Cannell’s sleuthing revealed that test scores were being manipulated! Schools and teachers were adjusting results to comply with state and federal requirements. Dr. John Cannell’s revelations began a national debate about the validity of testing and accountability in higher education.
This earned Cannell considerable media attention, including 60 Minutes, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. His work brought calls for reform within the educational system. However, Cannell would later voice disappointment, as many of the same issues persist, decades after his initial findings.
Dr. Cannell’s Switch to Psychiatry: The Battle Against Recovered Memory Therapy (RMT)
In 1991, Dr. Cannell began to switch careers from general practice to psychiatry. He became interested in the hotter topics surrounding care, including the (now infamous) Recovered Memory Therapy (RMT.)
Recovered Memory Therapy was a method of treatment whereby patients would recover lost memories of trauma, often involving child abuse. However, before long, the validity of these recovered memories was called into question. Many experts felt — as did Dr. Cannell — that false memories could be created through the therapy itself.
Dr. John Cannell became a vocal critic of RMT. He warned that the practice was not only scientifically flawed but also harmful to patients and their families. His advocacy contributed to RMT’s decline as a mainstream therapeutic technique. Cannell’s stance regarding this issue was thus part of his overall commitment to the ethics of psychiatric practice and the well-being of the patients.
Dr. John Cannell Establishes the Vitamin D Council
In the early 2000s, Dr. John Cannell shifted direction again, this time toward vitamin D studies. In 2002, he founded the Vitamin D Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about the importance of vitamin D for human health.
Cannell’s interest in vitamin D grew as several studies surfaced, linking vitamin D deficiency to many health conditions like osteoporosis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and autoimmune diseases. (Be sure to check out our page of Important Resources & Research if you’d like to learn more.)
Thus, the Vitamin D Council became a source of all things related to vitamin D deficiency and its treatment. Dr. John Cannell recommended a staggeringly high vitamin D intake compared to previously recommended dietary allowance, asserting that current guidelines were insufficient for disease prevention. His research showed that a global health crisis was rooted in widespread deficiencies in vitamin D, which supplementation with higher levels may radically improve public health.
Cannell’s Research on Vitamin D and Disease Prevention
Dr. John Cannell’s work on vitamin D has been influential and sometimes controversial. On this topic, his most significant contribution was his 2006 paper citing Vitamin D deficiency as an explanation for the seasonality of influenza outbreaks. He postulated that the much weaker sunlight in winter resulted in lower vitamin D production, with reduced immune defenses. This made humans vulnerable to infection with the virus.
This postulation varied from the conventional understanding of influenza transmission and has gained a lot of currency in scientific circles since publication. Cannell also published research on vitamin D’s role in neurological health, especially in the possible relationship of vitamin D and autism spectrum disorders.
In a 2008 paper, he hypothesized that autism is linked to low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy and early childhood. While this notion still needs research, this hypothesis has opened new avenues of investigation into the role of vitamin D in brain development.
Dr. John Cannell’s Legacy
Such is the wide-based career of Dr. John Cannell. It has spanned several disciplines, from public health and psychiatry, to education reformm and vitamin D research for humans and animals. He contributed to all these, from advocating for quitting smoking and exposing standardized testing corruption to promoting Vitamin D as a crucial component in human health.
His legacy is a commitment to improving the quality of life for all people through his medical practice, public health, and scientific research.
Today, his contributions continue to be echoed through the medical and public health communities, and his presence is assured of being felt for many years.
Dr. Cannell & DoggyD (in His Own Words)
Cannell says, “I founded DoggyD and DoggyD.dog because, during my work with the Vitamin D Council, I realized that dogs’ vitamin D systems are identical to humans, except dogs cannot make this vital nutrient in their skin.
This insight struck me deeply as I noticed the rising prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in humans and its correlation with various chronic diseases. I began to wonder: Could this same deficiency be affecting our pets?
After trying various treatments, I turned to vitamin D, which worked. That was when I discovered vitamin D’s potential for dogs, too.
But there’s one crucial difference between humans and dogs. Unlike us, dogs cannot make vitamin D in their skin. They must find dietary sources of vitamin D, and it’s a hidden issue that can lead to serious health problems.
Dogs, like humans, can suffer from conditions linked to vitamin D deficiency: bone health issues, immune disorders, and even certain cancers. However, most pet owners do not notice this problem.
With DoggyD, I aim to fill that gap, offering a solution that could potentially transform the health of our furry friends, ensuring they get the vitamin D they need for long-term health.
I also worked closely with veterinarians to ensure the safety and effectiveness of DoggyD, making it a trusted solution for pet owners. And finally, I made sure the product dosage is FDA-approved for canines. That means every dog gets the right amount of vitamin D, whether they’re a tiny toy poodle or a tall Great Dane.
As this year comes to a close, I appreciate each of our clients and their wonderful words of praise. I encourage you to spend some time on our website (and others, many linked here) to complete your research journey on the benefits of vitamin D for dogs, humans, and other animals.”