Indian-origin Surgeon, family killed in New York plane crash

New York: In a tragic accident, an Indian-origin surgeon and members of her family died in a plane crash in upstate New York over the weekend while heading to the Catskills Mountains for a birthday celebration.

Dr Joy Saini, a renowned urogynecologist, her husband Dr Michael Groff, a neuroscientist, their daughter Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player and the 2022 NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) woman of the year, and son Jared Groff, a paralegal, died when the twin-engine plane crashed, according to media reports, news agency PTI reported.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a statement that on April 12 about 12:06 pm, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-40, N635TA, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Craryville, New York.

The family boarded Groff’s private plane at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York.

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NTSB said its investigators are collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses.

The victims included Jared Groff's partner Alexia Couyutas Duarte, who had planned to attend Harvard Law School later this year, and Karenna Groff's boyfriend, James Santoro, who was an MIT graduate.

According to media reports, the family was headed to the Catskills for a birthday celebration and the Passover holiday.

Shortly before the crash, the pilot had radioed air traffic control at Columbia County Airport to say he had missed the initial approach and requested a new approach plan.

According to the information on the website of Boston Pelvic Health & Wellness, a centre founded by Saini, she was a “highly experienced and respected urogynecologist and reconstructive pelvic surgeon".

Saini received her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynaecology (ob/gyn) at The New York Presbyterian Hospital - Weill Cornell Medical Center and a fellowship in FPMRS at New York University Medical Center.

Double board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology (ABOG) in ob/gyn and FPMRS, Saini was one of the first women in the US to receive fellowship training in urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery and was among the first to be board certified when the discipline became an official medical subspecialty in 2013.

Saini was also a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (FACOG).

Before founding Boston Pelvic Health & Wellness, Saini was an attending physician and associate fellowship program director at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center. She also served as an attending physician and assistant professor at New York University Medical Center in New York and Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis.

At the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center, Saini was director of the fellowship didactics program and Grand Rounds. She has been actively involved in urogynecology research and has contributed several peer-reviewed publications to her field, according to the website.

Saini lived in Weston with her husband and three children. She was actively involved in her community, serving on the board of several local organisations, reports PTI.

Rochester Regional Health said in a statement it was deeply saddened to confirm the death of Michael Groff, MD, Executive Medical Director of Neurosciences, who passed away as a result of a plane crash that occurred on Saturday, April 12, in Columbia County, New York.

Groff was a highly respected neurosurgeon and physician leader, known for his clinical excellence, compassionate care, and unwavering commitment to advancing the field of neuroscience.

"We are in contact with Dr Groff’s family and ask that their privacy be respected during this difficult time," the statement said.

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