She was the voice of calm and reassurance during SARS.</p> <p>Doctor Sheela Basrur,

Toronto - She was the voice of calm and reassurance during SARS.

Doctor Sheela Basrur, Ontario’s former medical officer of health, has died at 51 after a battle with a rare form of cancer.

She became widely known during the crisis back in 2003, when in the words of Toronto Mayor David Miller…”it was the ever-courageous Dr. Basrur who stepped forward to become both Toronto’s face and its voice to a worried world.”

She resigned in December 2006 after being diagnosed with cancer. Soon after, she was awarded the Order of Ontario in April for her leadership during the deadly outbreak.

There will be a private funeral, but a public memorial is in the planning stages.