Martha Clayton Cottrell MD

Martha “Maggie” Cottrell, MD, was born and raised in Girard, Alabama. She lived a very full and adventurous life, spanning close to a century. She was a mother of 3, grandmother of 4, and a great grandmother of 7, a loyal friend, a physician, and a teacher.

Dr. Cottrell received her boards in Family Medicine in 1969 after graduating from Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. Her undergraduate work was a Mercer University where she graduated Cum Laude. She did her fellowship in Preventative Medicine and Community Medicine at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

Maggie was Staff Physician at the Student Health Services at Stonybrook University, Staff Physician at the University of Georgia, and Developed and Directed the Athens Model Neighborhood Health Center in Athens, Georgia prior to becoming the Director of Student Health at the Fashion Institute of Technology, part of the State University of New York.

Dr. Cottrell was a pioneer in holistic Medicine, and proponent and counselor of Macrobiotics. She had a private medical practice in New York City specializing in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Maggie frequently lectured both nationally and internationally on the need to emphasize prevention and health promotion, integrating the methodology of both eastern and western approaches. She was the clinical coordinator and medical consultant for the AIDS research project in conjunction with Boston School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and the Kushi Foundation, studying the effects of Macrobiotics as alternative therapy for AIDS. She presented with Michio Kushi at the first International Conference on AIDS in Paris in 1986, in the Republic of Congo, Africa, and in Japan.

Maggie was a woman who was not afraid to challenge the status quo and was influential in breaking the barriers often imposed on women in the workplace and in all areas of the professional and political arena. She encountered many obstacles but never let them stop her from reaching her goals, making way for generations to follow. Her knowledge and commitment to health and world peace characterize a woman of great strength, courage, and determination. She touched all that knew her professionally and personally.

Dr. Cottrell retired in 1993 and moved south: first to St. Michaels, MD, next to Asheville, NC, and finally to Atlantis, FL. She loved the sunshine, the heat, and her walks at the ocean and considered herself a true “Piscean”.

At her core, Maggie was an advocate, a fighter, an animal lover, a country girl, a sailor, a gypsy, and sometimes a little tipsy (she loved her scotch). She loved to travel for business and pleasure, Broadway theater, enjoyed delicious Vegan food followed by decadent desserts, music and dancing, and her family and friends. Everyone that was lucky enough to have known Maggie has highly adventurous stories and memories that are priceless and timeless.

Maggie was passionate about donating to the causes that were important to her. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations made to a charity that is meaningful to you.