Dr. Joy Saini, a role model for all Indian-origin doctors, was one of six individuals killed in an airplane crash in upstate New York on April 12, 2025. The news shocked the medical community and her relatives into mourning the loss of an exceptional doctor who dedicated her life to the well-being and health of women.
A Life of Excellence and Dedication
Dr. Joy Saini was born in India, Punjab, and along with her parents, Kuljit and Gurdev Singh, she emigrated to the United States of America in hopes of a brighter future. She completed her medical degree at the University of Pittsburgh, where she also met her husband, Dr. Michael Groff, who was a war veteran pilot and a renowned neurosurgeon. The two shared a life of medicine, family, and common interests.
Dr. Saini was an accomplished pelvic reconstructive surgeon and urogynecologist who was the first American female fellowship-trained in her specialty. She founded Boston Pelvic Health and Wellness, a practice dedicated to improving women’s health using pioneering care and treatment. Her care made her the most state-of-the-art of her kind and was also a senior academic medicine administrator for many years at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center and the NYU Medical Center.
The Plane Crash
Dr. Groff’s twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B plane was traveling from Columbia County Airport to Westchester County Airport when it crashed on a muddy field in Copake, New York. The pilot’s initial landing attempt failed and he asked for an alternative approach, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported. Following attempts to send low-altitude warnings through air traffic controllers, the plane dived and crashed, killing everyone on board.
Among the victims were Dr. Saini, her husband, and children Karenna and Jared Groff and their spouses, Alexia Couyutas Duarte and James Santoro. Karenna, a graduate biomedical engineer and also a former member of the MIT soccer team, was the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year. Jared, a graduate of Swarthmore College, was a paralegal by profession and was going to attend law school.
Legacy and Impact
Dr. Joy Saini’s medical innovations and dedication to women’s care have left a long-lasting impact. Her trailblazing work in reconstructive surgery and pelvic health benefited the lives of thousands of patients and her enthusiasm for medical education inspired students and colleagues alike.
Dr. Saini and her family are a sad tragedy to have lost, but their legacy lives on in the lives they touched and the progress they promoted. As investigations into the crash proceed, the medical community remembers her as a trailblazer, a caring healer, and a dedicated mother.
Dr. Joy Saini led a life of strength, intelligence, and increasingly strong dedication to making the world a better place. She will be remembered dearly by everyone who was fortunate enough to consider her their acquaintance and was touched by her outstanding work.
