The victims of an avalanche in Canada earlier this month have been identified as Victor Fedorov and Lauren Zeitels, both doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The two doctors were described as “rising young stars” by the hospital’s president.
Dr. Fedorov and Dr. Zeitels went missing while snowshoeing at Banff National Park, near Lake Louise in southern Alberta. Their bodies were found March 17.
Here’s a look at the victims:
Victor Fedorov, 32
Fedorov had been an internal medicine resident at MGH since June 2015, according to his LinkedIn page. He graduated cum laude from the University of Richmond, and received his MD/PhD from Cornell University, according to his LinkedIn.
Photos from his Facebook page show Fedorov enjoying a wide range of outdoor activities, including hiking and skiing.
In a letter to colleagues, two MGH officials said the “tragic accident occurred despite their extensive planning and taking every safety precaution.”
“Victor and Lauren enthusiastically embraced all life had to offer. They loved people, science, travel, and experiencing new cultures. They cherished interacting and connecting with all they encountered – patients, families, colleagues, mentors, unit staff, support staff, researchers, trainees,” said Dr. Katrina Armstrong, MGH physician-in-chief, and Jatin Vyas, residency program director.
Lauren Zeitels, 32
Zeitels was in her second year of the MGH internal medicine residency program, according to officials at the hospital.
Zeitels received her MD/PhD from John Hopkins University, and had also studied at the University of Pennsylvania, according to what appears to be her LinkedIn page.
“Their dedication to delivering compassionate care of the highest quality coupled with a resolve to understand and find answers to poorly understood diseases are the legacy they leave at MGH – indeed, at every place they touched,” Dr. Armstrong and Dr. Vyas said in their letter to colleagues. “We mourn these dedicated and promising physicians who were full of life and embodied the kind of devotion, compassion and brilliance that represent the best of medicine and humanity.”
“On behalf of the entire hospital, I offer my sincerest condolences to Victor’s and Lauren’s family members, colleagues and friends,” MGH President Peter L. Slavin said in a separate letter to hospital colleagues.