The Ontario Medical Association says it is looking for ways to honour a well-liked doctor whose body was discovered in Vaughan this week after her alleged murder.

“Many of the medical colleagues who knew and admired Dr. Elana Fric-Shamji called an urgent meeting today to discuss options to commemorate her,” OMA President Virginia Walley said in a statement Sunday. “The group is looking at everything from a trust fund for her children, to support for one of the many causes she was passionate about.

“The Ontario Medical Association is also actively working on a way to permanently honour Dr. Elana Fric-Shamji's memory.”

A symbol of tribute appeared on social media over the weekend, with many friends and colleagues of Fric-Shamji changing their avatars to a female doctor wearing a purple ribbon with “Elana” written on it.

“I liked that image. I thought it captured a lot of parts of her,” Fric-Shamji’s colleague Dr. David Esser told CTV News Toronto Sunday. “This will certainly raise awareness within the medical community and have us really look internally in terms of what we can do to protect women and protect women physicians that may be subject to domestic violence.”

Ontario’s Minister of Health Eric Hoskins also tweeted a message of condolence Sunday evening.

“My sincere condolences to family, friends and colleagues of highly-respected physician leader Dr. Elana Fric-Shamji. #StopDomesticViolence,” Hoskins wrote.

Fric-Shamji's body was discovered near a bridge in Kleinburg on Thursday. Police said the cause of death was strangulation and blunt-force trauma.

Investigators have since said that they believe the 40-year-old physician was killed at her North York home in the Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue area sometime between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

On Sunday police obtained a warrant to search the home and began combing through the house for evidence.

Fric-Shamji's neurosurgeon husband was arrested at a Mississauga coffee shop on Friday in connection with the killing.  

Mohammed Shamji has been charged with first-degree murder. He made a brief court appearance Saturday and has been remanded into custody until his next court appearance, scheduled for Dec. 20.

The OMA said further details about its plans to honour Fric-Shamji will be released in the coming days. 

Other colleagues took to social media Saturday and Sunday to post messages of tribute.

“Dr Elana Fric: you are beloved and missed by many. May you rest in peace,” colleague Nadia Alam wrote on Twitter.