Frances Joan Malinoff, MD
Frances Joan Malinoff was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Joseph and Belle Malinoff and was known to most as Fran. She graduated with a Bachelor’s from the University of Michigan. Fran earned a Master’s degree from Syracuse University and a medical degree from New York University in 1976.
Before entering medicine, Fran taught science in New York City public schools and worked as a lab assistant at NYU. It was there that a professor—recognizing her spark and boundless energy—urged her to consider medical school, remarking that she wasn’t one to sit quietly in a lab all day pondering a narrow question. He was right.
Fran completed her pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where she began a lifelong commitment to volunteerism, including work on a Navajo reservation. After residency, she moved to Lansing, Michigan, joining the staff at St. Lawrence Hospital and practicing sports medicine at Michigan State University.
It was in Lansing that Fran met her future husband, Brian Burd, a photojournalist at the Lansing State Journal. On October 9, 1979, he was assigned to cover a woman who seemed to have stepped out of a Dewar’s Scotch advertisement: educated and brilliant, a violinist, snow skier, scuba diver, mountain hiker, humanitarian—and, of course, beautiful. Meeting Fran, he found she was all that and more. The couple moved to Santa Barbara in 1980 and married in 1984.
Fran spent ten years at the Santa Barbara Medical Foundation Clinic, where she was the first female pediatrician, and later worked many years for the County of Santa Barbara. In 1990, seeking adventure and broadening horizons for the family, she accepted a job in Guam. The move took her, Brian, their two young daughters, and Fran’s mother to a remote Pacific island for two and a half years—years filled with snorkeling, jungle hikes, travel throughout Southeast Asia, and deep engagement with new cultures.
Upon returning to Santa Barbara in 1993, Fran began her work with the County as Deputy Medical Director. There, she launched and supported numerous pediatric initiatives. She developed a particular passion for early identification of pediatric eye problems, which led to decades of devoted volunteer work aimed at preserving children’s vision. That work took her to communities around the world—including Laos, Tanzania, Mexico, and Guatemala—as well as aboard the USNS Comfort, the largest hospital ship in the world at the time, where she served in Panama and El Salvador.
Music was woven into Fran’s life from childhood. She began playing violin at age nine and performed at the University of Michigan in both classical ensembles and Gilbert and Sullivan productions. Over the years, she embraced bluegrass, folk, jazz, and Irish music. While in Guam, she played with the Guam Symphony, and back in Santa Barbara, she founded Shepherd’s Pie, a beloved Irish band that was part of the local music scene for a decade.
Fran was a regular presence in the Santa Barbara music community. She played fiddle and provided backup for songwriters at local open mics, performed with the band Sweet Clover, and was part of the Red Dragon Jazz Trio, where she especially enjoyed spontaneous performances around the State Street pianos. She and Brian also played for contra dances and English Country Dances, and at venues in Australia and New Zealand.
Fran lived a life of generosity, joy, curiosity, and service. In her final days, Fran was honored with the 2025 Champion for Health Award from Santa Barbara County Children & Family Resource Services, recognizing her lifetime of service and compassion.
She sought out adventure, made music wherever she went, and devoted her talents to the well-being of others. Her legacy is one of compassion and creativity—a life that lit up the lives of those who knew her. She was deeply loved by her family and many others.
On May 19, 2025, she died surrounded by her family. Fran was predeceased by her parents and her older brother, Bill. She is survived by her husband, Brian; daughters, Aurora and Halley; grandchildren, Skylar, Fiadh, and Geileis; sister-in-law, Julie Malinoff; and many extended family members.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to one of Fran’s favorite organizations: The Painted Turtle, Planned Parenthood of Santa Barbara, or the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County. A private memorial will be held at a later date.
