Shelby Pracht, who worked at UNMC since 2005, and most recently as a clinical study coordinator in the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine-Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, died Tuesday at the age of 46.
Visitation will be today from noon to 2 p.m. with virtual funeral services immediately following at 2 p.m. in Carson, Iowa, at the Carson Community Center, 316 S. Commercial St.
“Shelby was an amazing person, ever cheerful and ready to make you smile,” said Cyrus Desouza, MBBS, professor in the department. “She worked hard to accomplish goals in her career and managed to do so with flying colors. Her colleagues and supervisors had the utmost praise for her. She was ever ready to help her co-workers. She was always compassionate with her patients and her patients loved her. We will all miss Shelby very much.”
Whitney Goldner, MD, said she felt privileged to have worked with Pracht.
“She was one of the most organized, dedicated, and compassionate research coordinators I have worked with,” Dr. Goldner said. “Not only did the study participants love her, but her attention to detail was amazing. When working on multicenter trials, she was frequently the one that found and worked out all of the bugs in the data information systems for the trials. Shelby always had a smile and a great laugh and made everyone around her feel at ease. I will miss her dearly not only as my co-worker, but as my friend.”
Colleague Lisa Kuechenmeister shared an office with Pracht for the past five years.
“She truly embodied kindness,” she said. “She was always sharing her (or her mom’s) delicious homemade treats. She took great pride in her work, doing it the right way without missing a detail. I will miss hearing her hum along to her country music. I will miss her laugh and hearing her talk about the thing she loved the most — her family. She was a terrific mom to her sons, Michael and Caden, and loving wife to her husband, Bill. Shelby will be greatly missed by her entire work family!”
Christopher Kratochvil, MD, associate vice chancellor for clinical research, recalled working with Pracht for many years when she was a member of the research team in the department of psychiatry.
“Shelby contributed significantly to the successes of the program,” he said. “Her enthusiasm for her work, laughter and love of her family was literally evident every day we worked together, over nearly a decade. Shelby was an incredibly kind and generous person, who always had a twinkle in her eye, particularly when she talked about her family. Her passing is a tremendous loss for all of us.”
“I just wanted to pass along that, as someone that didn’t know Shelby’s family personally, it was easy to tell just how she loved her family. She always had stories of them to tell and you could tell that they were her whole world. She will be missed.”
“It was my pleasure to travel with Shelby to Washington D.C. for two meetings. One of my fond memories of Shelby was when we all took a night walk to the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. I will never forget just enjoying each other's company and conversation. I really enjoyed getting to know Shelby outside of work in a relaxed environment.”
So very sad. My condolences to her family.
Shelby was one of the most genuine, kind and caring person that I have worked with at UNMC. Her heart was as big as her smile and was there for everyone. She always had a gift for everyone at Christmas and she talked about the love she had for her boys…her sons and husband. She will never be forgotten and will always have a spot in my heart.
Holly Dubas
Shelby was one of the most absolute, genuine people I have ever met. I enjoyed working with her and she was a true blessing to work with. She will be truly missed. Prayers to Bill, the boys and the family.
I worked with Shelby for many years in psychiatry. Her professional growth was something we were proud to see. She was fun and loved her work, but loved her family even more. This is a huge loss for all who knew her.
Shelby was a wonderful and caring person and it was a privilege to work with her. My deepest sympathies for her family.
I am so sorry to learn of this. I too had the pleasure to work with Shelby during her time at the Psychopharmacology Research Center. She was always a delight with a big smile and eagerness to learn about clinical research. She was a wonderful member of team. She will be missed and my sympathies to her family and friends.
My condolences to her family and coworkers. She was a joy to talk with and someone I really looked up to as a young clinical coordinator in 2015!