In a significant announcement from Cottage Health, widely respected physician leader Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons, with an impressive tenure of nearly two decades encompassing clinical and administrative roles, has been elected to the health organisation’s Board of Directors. Combining her extensive knowledge in infectious diseases, public health, and medical education, Dr. Fitzgibbons extensively contributes to Cottage Health in various key roles, including the Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and Infection Prevention and Control directorship.
A Clinical Professor of Medicine at the acclaimed Keck School of Medicine of USC, she is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at her alma mater, the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Dr. Fitzgibbons’ distinguished career is marked by pioneering work in leading local pandemic responses, achievement in quality initiatives direction, and advocacy for community-based, equitable health care. Her academic credentials include a medical degree from the University of California, San Diego, an internal medicine residency at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, and an infectious disease fellowship at Oregon Health & Science University.
As a staunch advocate for health equity, Dr. Fitzgibbons contributes significantly to the boards of the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics and Sansum Diabetes Research Institute while also serving the global humanitarian organization Direct Relief as a medical advisor. Her exceptional service has been widely recognized with accolades, the most recent being the 2025 LEAP Award, Cottage Health’s Outstanding Physician of the Year, and the Central Coast Medical Association’s Physician of the Year award.
Cottage Health, a not-for-profit health system located in California’s Central Coast, provides cutting-edge medical care and has cared for 20,733 inpatient admissions, 91,649 emergency department visits, and 2,005 newborn deliveries in the past year. Over 700 dedicated physicians including specialists typically found at university medical centers—provide comprehensive, expert care. Beyond their primary constraint, cottage health is reaching out to provide care through primary and specialty clinics, urgent care centers and 24/7 provider access via Cottage Virtual Care.
Source: https://www.independent.com/2025/05/27/dr-lynn-fitzgibbons-joins-cottage-health-board-of-directors/