Dr. Martha Illige

This fall, CU Medical School’s family medicine residency program at Rose Medical Center will change the name of its residents’ office suite to recognize the many contributions and achievements of Dr. Martha Illige.
Illige, a 25-plus-year resident of Park Hill and a 12-year resident of Stapleton, taught and practiced family medicine in the Rose Family Medicine Residency program, and she delivered countless babies in her decades of work as an obstetrician. She was a tireless advocate of breastfeeding, serving as the medical director for the Mothers’ Milk Bank of Denver for the last 16 years.
Illige also played a leading role in the Balance Conference for Women Physicians since its founding in 1991. This conference, focusing on balancing professional work and personal humanity, is the only all-female physician conference of its kind. Illige is being honored through a new scholarship that provides funding for one female resident and one female residency faculty member to attend the conference each year.
She was recognized as an outstanding teacher: the Colorado Academy of Family Practice named her Teacher of the Year in 2005, and the American Academy of Family Practice honored her with their Exemplary Teaching Award in 2006.
Illige worked extensively on physician evaluation, remediation and training and was the first medical director of the Center for Personalized Education for Physicians (CPEP), a nonprofit organization that works with physicians re-entering practice to address performance evaluation issues.
Dr. Martha Illige, 64, died peacefully of pancreatic cancer in her Stapleton home on June 26, surrounded by her family. Contributions in her honor can be made to the Mothers’ Milk Bank (part of the Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation), the Denver Public Library Friends Foundation or Colorado Public Radio.