After completion of her PhD study, Cannas has received the prestigious ‘Early Career Development Fellowship’ from the Cancer Institute NSW to continue her groundbreaking work in breast cancer screening research.  

Cannas is a senior academic and researcher in higher education.  Prior to employment at Charles Sturt University, Cannas has held a number of senior leadership appointments including Director of Academic Programs (Post-graduate), Deputy Director of Research and Academic Course Adviser at School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University. 

Cannas has extensive experience in curriculum development, subject and course design for Master of Nursing with various specialisations. She has developed and taught a range of subjects in nursing and public health at Master level. Cannas' teaching philosophy is to inspire learning by building strong connections with students. This student-focused approach includes scaffolding active learning to stimulate critical thinking and facilitate engagement. 

Cannas has strong passion in cancer screening and survivorship research particularly among immigrant communities. She has successfully secured a number of research funding and led multiple research projects to completion. Her research track record includes over 50 peer-reviewed publications in high ranking jounrals and 30 conference presentations. 

Cannas has international standing as a leading expert in breast cancer screening, she is currently ranked number 1 in the SciVal list of Top 500 researchers in the Asia/Pacific region and number 3 in the world in this area.