UBC professor and anesthesiologist dies while descending Mt. Everest
Posted May 26, 2023 12:06 pm.
Last Updated May 26, 2023 12:27 pm.
An associate professor and doctor at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver General Hospital has died while descending the world’s tallest mountain Thursday, UBC has announced.
In a statement, UBC says its “beloved friend and respected colleague” Pieter Swart passed away while climbing down below Camp 4 on Mount Everest. The university says while the reason for the death is currently “undefined,” the university believes it was due to a “respiratory event.”
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“Pieter was lost to us while bravely pursuing his dream of being on top of the world, since he was nine. As many of you know Pieter had an insatiable wanderlust,” the university said Friday.
Swart is being described as an “incredibly generous,” warm, and caring physician. UBC notes he was a loving “family man profoundly proud of his wife, Suretha and two grown children Marna and Pieter. He is also survived by his mother, sister and brother” in South Africa.
On behalf of the Department of Anesthesiology at the university and hospitals, colleague Hamed Umedaly’s statement says Swart was a highly capable and trusted physician.
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“He was a leader and strong educator. The residents and fellows loved working with him. He inspired so many. He has left a strong legacy of contribution in BC and Canada. He was the fabric of our profession and made us all proud to be colleagues.”
The university says it will be organizing a memorial and celebration of Swart’s life with his family. “There will be stories to tell of the tremendous effect he had on all of us and his patients.
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“I’m sure you will all agree that we were all enriched, and the world is a better place, because Pieter Swart lived.”
According to social media posts, Swart was climbing with a group of people lead by a Seattle-based company, Madison Mountaineering.
More to come
