Deceased doctor remembered as having 'positive impact' in emergency room, courtroom
Friends and colleagues of a well-respected physician, who suddenly disappeared and was later found deceased, are mourning the sudden loss.
According to police, Dr. Tracy Pickett, 55, was reported missing on Wednesday, prompting a large search at Pacific Spirit Regional Park. Her remains were discovered Thursday evening.
“It's a tremendous shock. I can tell you that Tracy was one of those people who when she'd show up for a shift, she would always, like, have a positive impact on the people around her,” said Dr. Afshin Khazei, who’s known Pickett since medical school.
Pickett has a vast resume: emergency room physician, jail physician, former UBC clinical professor, past president of the Medical Legal Society of BC and medical forensic expert.
“Despite her accomplishments, she was incredibly humble, kind, thoughtful and caring. And so when you would work with her, you would feel that she would value you as a person. She was very approachable. And whether you are a first year medical student or you know, a colleague, she would treat everybody the same,” he said.
Khazei remembers how Pickett first got into the field of forensic medicine.
“She felt very strongly about the need for justice and getting people that were victimized a strong voice, and also achieving closure for families of these victims,” he said.
EXPERT WITNESS AT TRIAL
In the days leading up to her disappearance, she was testifying in a B.C. murder trial.
“Many of us have had to testify in court for a variety of circumstances, which adds a significant burden and layer of complexity and strain to your personal life,” explained Dr. Josh Greggain, president of Doctors of BC.
“I'll speak for me on behalf of my colleagues, when you come up to those situations, you don't sleep very well and you're worried about the outcome and you just never know whether justice will be served.”
Since the pandemic, physicians have faced increasing mental health challenges.
At a talk about Forensic Emergencies, Dr. Pickett encouraged attendees to be aware of their well-being.
“Look after your own mental health, especially if you’re the subject of legal action. Sometimes these cases take years,” she said in the 2018 video. “It’s OK to talk about how the case makes you feel with a loved one or a family doc or someone you trust, but you can’t talk about the details of the case. It can be gut wrenching; it can be very, very difficult.”
Vancouver police said preliminary evidence doesn’t suggest she died of a crime. They would not comment if she died by suicide, adding it is now a BC Coroner Service investigation.
Dr. Khazei said it is unlikely that she would’ve taken her own life.
“She was the medical director of a sexual assault service. She was a champion of helping victims of these horrible crimes gain closure and justice. So to leave a case halfway through that would be really out of character that would really surprise me that she would do that as a choice,” he explained.
Pickett leaves behind her husband and two adult daughters.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
'The world is too messy for bureaucratic hurdles': Canada still bars Afghanistan aid
Ottawa has plans to finally stop blocking Canadian development aid to Afghanistan this year.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Hamas is reviewing an Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, as possible Rafah offensive looms
Hamas said Saturday it was reviewing a new Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, as Egypt intensified efforts to broker a deal to end the months-long war and stave off a possible Israeli ground offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Russia renews attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector as Kyiv launches drones at southern Russia
Russia launched a barrage of missiles against Ukraine overnight, in attacks that appeared to target the country's energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, Russia said its air defense systems had intercepted more than 60 Ukrainian drones over the southern Krasnodar region.