[2] She completed a Bachelor of Science degree in 1990, medical school in 1994, and a Master's in Public Health (MPH) in 2016, all from Memorial University of Newfoundland.
[6][7][8] Polls from Narrative Research have consistently found Fitzgerald to have a higher public approval rating than her counterparts in other provinces.
[9] In recognition of her public health guidance amid the pandemic, Fitzgerald was awarded a YWCA St. John's Honorary Woman of Distinction Award (2020),[3] and recognized as a College of Family Physicians of Canada's Family Physician of the Year for Newfoundland and Labrador (2020).
[2][4] She has received multiple tributes, including cookies, cross-stitch and petitions to name university buildings after her.
The ceremony, which will be held at the Government House (Newfoundland and Labrador), will take place on September 28, 2022.