New Medical Director Announced for Santa Barbara County Health Care Centers

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(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) – The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Noemi “Mimi” Doohan as the Medical Director for the County’s Health Care Centers effective October 31, 2022. Dr. Doohan, as a member of the Department’s Executive Team, will direct the 25 staff physicians, eight advanced practice practitioners and 24 contracted specialists delivering care at the County’s five Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and three shelter-based Health Care for the Homeless clinics. 

Dr. Doohan joins Santa Barbara County with 20 years of experience in the medical field. She is Board Certified in Family Medicine and earned her medical degree at Stanford University followed by a residency in Family Medicine at the Contra Costa County Regional Medical Center in Martinez, California.  Dr. Doohan earned a PhD in Molecular Biology from UC Santa Barbara and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

She has broad experience in all aspects of primary care as a family medicine provider and as a leader in private practice, FQHCs, rural and tribal clinics, urgent care, hospitalist medicine, street medicine, corrections, global health and medical education. Dr. Doohan has extensive experience in public health as the Mendocino County Health Officer through the first year of the COVID 19 pandemic, Deputy Health Officer in both Mendocino and Santa Barbara Counties, and also as a medical officer focusing on Covid 19 and other public health emergencies for the California Department of Public Health. She also served as Co-chair of the Health Equity Committee  from September 2020 through March 2022 for the California Conference of Local Health Officers.

“We are thrilled that Dr. Doohan will be our Medical Director leading the exceptional Health Centers physicians, clinicians and quality teams and as we pivot from pandemic footing back into our privileged role as a key provider in our County’s Health Care Safety Net Delivery System,” said Dana Gamble, Deputy Director of the Primary Care and Family Health Division. “Dr. Doohan brings extensive experience in all aspects of healthcare and is exceptionally well equipped to guide our healthcare teams in providing excellent care to our patients.”

Dr. Doohan has been involved locally since 2005 when she founded, along with Dr. Mark Stinson, the long-standing Santa Barbara Street Medicine program, Doctors Without Walls.  As a founding medical director, she was also instrumental in the development of the Santa Barbara County Medical Reserve Corps, the Public Health Department’s backup medical response team activated during disasters.

“To return home and serve the Santa Barbara County Health Care Centers as Medical Director is a great privilege and an honor. I am humbled by this opportunity to help lead such an exceptional Public Health team,” said Dr. Doohan.