Brian Bacak, M.D., Program Director

Dr. Bacak completed medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 1994. He did a residency in Family Medicine at the Martin Army Community Hospital at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia. After residency, Dr. Bacak worked as an Army physician in Germany and in Augusta, Georgia. He served with the 18th Airborne Corps in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2002. After leaving the military in 2003, Brian came to the Rose Family Medicine Residency. As Program Director, Dr. Bacak is responsible for the clinical training and education of eighteen family medicine residents. His many interests include obstetrical ultrasound and leadership in medicine. He has authored several articles on Gastroesophageal reflux disease and obstetric ultrasound. 

Jacqueline Stern, M.D., Medical Director

When I was a kid the last thing in the world I dreamed of being was a physician. In my undergrad years at UCLA  I fancied myself an artist, a dreamer, a philosopher, a traveller.  Figuring out my destined career path was confusing until I had a chance to work with some physicians who were extraordinary.   Suddenly things gelled--I loved the idea of "making a difference" and even more I loved the idea of touching peoples lives in ways physicians are uniquely priviledged to do.  After having a chance to practice in this community for almost 13 years, I found myself a great niche for teaching and continuing the cycle from learner to teacher here at Rose Family Medicine Residency, and hope to continue making a difference for those I work with daily, residents, patients, staff, and colleagues.  In my "free time" I juggle family (husband and three kids) and friends, play outdoors (skiing, hiking), and occasionally make time to paint and dream!

Marc Grushan, M.D., Staff Physician

In my career as a family physician I continue to learn and to grow.  I have learned that good Family Medicine comes from good relationships.  I have loved and value the relationships I have developed over the years with my patients. I started my career in Family Medicine at Rose, and then I moved to Boulder to live and to practice. In Boulder I developed a strong appreciation for the outdoors and learned much about the role that a healthy lifestyle plays in impacting our physical and emotional health. Fatherhood then taught me so much, and I am a wiser doctor for it. Now I am back at Rose in the role of a teacher, but I still continue to enjoy meeting new patients and forming new relationships. As a result of strong working relationships, my patients learn more about themselves and how to take charge of their health.  I am grateful for what my patients give back to me.  They teach me so much, so that I can continue to grow and to be a better physician.

John Hill, D.O., Staff Physician

As a third generation native of Denver, I grew up near Cherry Creek shopping center, two miles from “General Rose Hospital”.  The Cherry Creek north neighborhood, which used to consist of tiny houses and no traffic, has changed as much as Rose Medical Center. Change is a good thing. When I started college, my goal as music major was to be a composer, now I am a doctor; your ears should rejoice about this change.  My main interests in medicine are in the areas of obstetrics and sports medicine, which actually have more in common than you think. I never have delivered a baby on the football field.  Exercise is essential in prevention of illness and maintaining an active healthy lifestyle for both areas.  This ties in well to many of my interests which center on the Colorado outdoors: Running, bicycling, climbing, skiing and backpacking. My wife also loves these activities, but I am not sure if my kids have caught the love.  My two teenage daughters would rather just be “cool”.

Martha Illige, M.D., Staff Physician

Growing up, I lived in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and California, learning to appreciate the wonders of the West. After Pomona College and University of California San Diego School of Medicine, I came back to Denver in 1977 as a Rose resident and have stayed ever since. I am privileged to take care of some patients for these thirty years and appreciate the opportunity to teach about the doctor-patient relationship. I have four children and five grandchildren who are themselves learning and growing in literature, culinary arts, arts, and life.

Michael Park, M.D., Staff Physician

Having grown-up in Chicago, I will always be a fan of deep-dish pizza and the Cubs (maybe THIS year?). I moved to Colorado in 1999 to train at Rose and continue to appreciate the combination of natural beauty, great weather and active lifestyle that our state uniquely provides. My wife, two sons, and I live in Evergreen, where I enjoy cycling and shoveling snow (the old-fashioned way: no snowblower...yet). After four years in private practice, I joined the team here at RFMC and am thankful to have work that I truly enjoy—the combination of patient care and teaching work wonderfully together for the benefit of all involved. I feel humbled by the privilege of being a part of the lives of both our patients and residents. My particular interest is in helping to translate the results of research into the best possible medical care.

Pete Smith, M.D., Staff Physician

Dr. Smith graduated from Princeton University with a degree in the History of Ideas, and then received his MD from Georgetown University School of Medicine. Rose Family Medicine was his first choice for residency, with its perfect combination of multiple training hospitals in the first year, a true “unopposed” community-based medical home in the senior years,  but with the all the academic richness of its close university affiliation. Dr. Smith served as chief resident and has been on the faculty since graduating in 1997. He spent his first several years on the faculty as Assistant Residency Director while developing clinical programs in suburban and rural Eastern Colorado, and developing the University's Wilderness Medicine elective. He then completed a research fellowship at the University of Colorado.  Dr. Smith has served as  Assistant Director of CaReNet, one of the nation's premier practice based research networks. He is now the founding director of BIGHORN, a new PBRN focusing on the diverse universe of private practice. Dr. Smith directs the University of Colorado's efforts with the Family Physicians Inquiries Network (FPIN), is an Assistant Editor for that organization and for the Clinical Inquiries feature at the Journal of Family Practice, and holds several leadership positions within FPIN. In addition, Dr. Smith has started a collaborative program to integrate primary care and advanced point-of-care testing into Dept. of Psychiatry's clinical sites.  When not at work, he can be found spending time with his wife Pauline and their two children, flailing on his guitar at Swallow Hill Folk Center, fly fishing, or dropping a knee and earning his tele turns.

Vanessa Rollins, Ph.D., Psychologist

Dr. Rollins received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Denver. She completed a clinical psychology residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Dr. Rollins joined the Rose Family Medicine Residency in 2005. Her previous experience includes working in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings with children, adolescents and adults. She specializes in mood disorders, including post-partum depression, emotional issues related to chronic health conditions, trauma, anxiety, and identity development. She's particularly interested in evidence-based practice, and views her professional role as part practitioner, teacher, and scientist. She's committed to affirming multiculturalism and diversity, and feels very privileged to help people from many different backgrounds to change and grow. Dr. Rollins is overjoyed to be back in Colorado again, and spends her free time biking, rollerblading, hiking, and trying new restaurants.