Kanapon, who is affectionately known as Dr Tum, studied medicine at Chiang Mai University and went on to graduate from Kasetsart University Laboratory School. He was then sent to Phatthalung Province in Thailand's south, where he worked as an intern in the primary care unit of a 30-bed community hospital for three years. His interest in geriatric medicine prompted him to further his studies at Thammasat University Hospital and then at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City where he stayed for a year.