ABC News' Dr. Jamie Zimmerman drowns in Hawaii

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Zimmerman, 31, died Monday after slipping on some rocks and getting swept out to sea from mouth of Lumahai River in Kauai
Zimmerman researched stories for ABC's medical unit and also offered meditation sessions for ABC News staff in New York
She traveled in Haiti and the Amazon rain forest, and made a documentary film on Congolese refugee camps
Her last Facebook post updated her profile with a smiling picture taken against backdrop of Kauai's north shore

Published: 11:28 EST, 15 October 2015 | Updated: 01:49 EST, 16 October 2015

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Jamie Zimmerman, a doctor and reporter with ABC News' medical unit, has drowned while on vacation in Hawaii. She was 31.

Zimmerman apparently lost her footing while trying to cross the Lumahai River on Kauai's north shore and was swept out to sea, ABC News President James Goldston said in a note to staff Thursday.

She died Monday, according to a lengthy post written by Zimmerman's mother, Jordan, on the doctor's Facebook page.

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Last known photo: Jamie Zimmerman, a doctor and reporter with ABC News' medical unit, drowned while on vacation in Hawaii Monday. Her last Facebook post updated her profile with a smiling picture taken against the backdrop of Kauai's north shore

Freak accident: Zimmerman slipped on some rocks and was swept out to sea from the mouth of the Lumahai River (pictured) in Kauai

Zimmerman researched stories for ABC's medical unit and also offered meditation sessions for ABC News staff in New York, Goldston said.

She traveled in Haiti and the Amazon rain forest, and made a documentary film on Congolese refugee camps.

Her last Facebook post updated her profile with a smiling picture taken with Kauai's north shore in the background.

According to reporting by Hawaii News Now, the fatal accident took place at around 4pm local time.

Witnesses called police after seeing Zimmerman, who was alone at the time, being swept out to sea from the mouth of the Lumahai River.

Lifeguards and paramedics who responded to the emergency found the 31-year-old doctor unresponsive in the water about 200 yards east of the river mouth.

They attempted to resuscitate her by administering CPR, but to no avail.

TV personality: Zimmerman (fourth from the left) researched stories for ABC's medical unit and also offered meditation sessions for ABC News staff in New York

Humanitarian: The 31-year-old physician traveled in Haiti and the Amazon rain forest, and made a documentary film on Congolese refugee camps

Zimmerman was taken to Wilcox Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Police on Kauai say foul play is not suspected in the reporter's death.

Lumahai can be dangerous for those unfamiliar with the area, particularly during the winter when surf is up on the North Shore, Kauai County spokeswoman Sarah Blane said. However, there were no flash flood or high surf advisories on this day.

While rescuers have responded to incidents there, there has not been a major incident in that area in recent memory, according to Blane.

In her online tribute to her daughter, Jordan Zimmerman described her as a globe-trotting humanitarian who helped refugees in Africa, volunteered in a low-income hospital in India, helped build classrooms in Uganda and worked with indigenous tribes in Peru.

She was honored with UCLA’s prestigious Charles E. Young Humanitarian Award and was a Rhodes Scholar finalist, according to her mother.

'But Jamie wasn’t just my daughter; she was my best friend,' Jordan Zimmerman wrote. 'We suffered through an extended period of estrangement, only to reunite and forge a relationship that was stronger and more open than it ever had been before.'

Young professional: Zimmerman, pictured at a TED talk, was honored with UCLA’s prestigious Charles E. Young Humanitarian Award and was a Rhodes Scholar finalist

Ambitious: Jamie's mother described her as a go-getter who was always trying to do too much

After listing her daughter's early childhood milestones - first word spoken at four months, walking on her own at 10 months - Zimmerman said her 'little girl' was always trying to do too much.

‘She wanted to write books and already had a literary agent. She just couldn’t stop taking on more,’ she wrote. ‘It’s as if she knew her time was limited and she was trying to fit it all in!

‘I am so proud of my Jamie Jo and life will never be the same without her. She helped make me a better woman and the world a better place. I am honored to be her mother and only wish she had additional time here to do even more, but that wasn’t God’s plan.’

She added that Jamie's legacy is to inspire others to take action and make our world a better place.

Jordan concluded her tribute with a touching personal message to Jamie: 'Sweet dreams, my darling daughter, my sweet pea, my role model, my pride and joy! I will love you forever!!

'Always know that I will miss you every second, minute, and hour of every day. Until we meet again, my precious one!'