Dr. Ulder Tillman, County Health Officer, Dies Jan. 3

ROCKVILLE, MD — Officials say Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Ulder Tillman died suddenly on Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 3. She served as the county’s health officer and chief of Public Health Services for the past 13 years, County Executive Ike Leggett said. There is no word on what caused Tillman's death.

Leggett called Tillman was a wise and ardent champion of public health. She spearheaded expansion of the Montgomery Cares network of non-profit health clinics serving the uninsured and provided leadership in public health emergencies, including the Ebola and Zika viruses.

Tillman's entire career has been in the public health arena, according to a statement from Leggeett. Before her work with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Ullman served as chief of community health services at the Delaware Division of Public Health. Previous to that role, she served as Director of Health for the City of Waterbury, CT. Dr. Tillman was a graduate of Harvard University’s School of Medicine and received a master’s degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.

Tillman was known for her calm presence during public health emergencies and her ability to explain complex medical issues to the public in understandable terms. For example, she is remembered fondly for her live demonstrations of prevention efforts against Lyme disease and the Zika virus, Leggett said.

"In everything she did, Dr. Tillman demonstrated her deep wisdom as well as her passion for the welfare of others. She will be sorely missed," Leggett said. "I offer her family my deep condolences."

Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner and Health and Human Services Committee Chair George Leventhal issued the following joint statement following Tillman's death:

“It is with great sadness that we learned of the sudden passing of Dr. Ulder Tillman, Montgomery County’s health officer and chief of Public Health Services for the past 13 years. Dr. Tillman was a leader in all facets of her vital and demanding job. She oversaw the county’s extensive public health system. She also oversaw expansion of the Montgomery Cares network of non-profit health clinics and the Care for Kids program that both serve the needs of the uninsured. She was dedicated to finding ways to reduce health disparities and to Healthy Montgomery’s community health improvement process. In Montgomery County — as she previously did in roles in Delaware and Connecticut — she tried to make sure every resident understood changing health patterns and emergencies, such as the need to take protective efforts regarding the Ebola virus, the Zika virus and Lyme disease. We will miss her wisdom, her urgency and her devotion to all county residents.”

»Photo of Dr. Ulder Tillman, courtesy of Montgomery Community Media