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
Freeland previews omnibus budget bill, proposed capital gains tax change left out
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation is the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
McGill requests 'police assistance' over pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.
Judge raises threat of jail in hush money trial as he holds Trump in contempt, fines him US$9,000
Donald Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined US$9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. And if he does it again, the judge warned, he could be jailed.
Court upholds Milwaukee police officer's firing for posting racist memes after Sterling Brown arrest
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a former Milwaukee police officer was properly fired for posting racist memes related to the arrest of an NBA player that triggered a public outcry.
Video captures deadly wrong-way police chase on Highway 401 in Ontario
A new video has surfaced showing a vehicle being pursued by police in the wrong direction on Highway 401 moments prior to a fatal crash that killed four people, including an infant and their grandparents.
New cancer treatment approved, but not everyone thinks it's what's best for patients
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.