After a private plane crash in Columbia County on Saturday that killed six people, the medical field is left struggling with the loss of both Dr. Michael Groff, a leading neuroscientist and his wife, Dr. Joy Saini, an esteemed urogynecologist.

They and two of their three children along with their significant others died in the crash.

“He was a very personable individual,” the head of Rochester Regional Health, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Mayo, said of Dr. Michael Groff.

“He will be greatly missed here in our community," Mayo said. "And certainly, it's a great tragedy for his family that he unexpectedly passed this past weekend."

He describes Groff as not only a colleague, but a friend who was dedicated to his patients and his work in neurosurgery and neuroscience.

“There's a real sense of grief and loss," Mayo said. "We're very heartbroken by this. Our collective of sympathies and condolences are extended to his family and extended family.”

Mayo says the entire Groff family will leave a legacy of accomplishments.

“I had the pleasure of meeting his wife on a couple of occasions," Mayo said. "She was very accomplished as well as a GYN oncologist practicing in the Boston area. She had started a clinic there that she was very successful in treating women's ailments. And, both of their children are very, very accomplished, while they have three children.”

Daughter Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player, was named the NCAA woman of the year in 2022.

Mayo says Dr. Groff’s commitment to the field of neuroscience is so significant it’s immeasurable.

“Dr. Groff was a very accomplished surgeon," Mayo said. "He was very well trained. Before he joined us, he was a faculty at the Harvard Medical School. He was the director at Brigham and Women’s [Hospital] of their neurosurgery spine division, as well as their fellowship training program.”

Widely known in the Northeast for his accomplishments and for having a beloved family, Mayo says Groff will be missed.

“I think that the community knew him and I knew him as an incredibly intelligent, caring person," Mayo said. "And he used his talents to serve this community. And though it was a short time, it had a very significant impact. And certainly, his much longer career in the Boston area served hundreds, if not thousands of patients there. And so, people's lives had been better because of him.”

The family was celebrating Karenna Groff's 25th birthday. Their family says she and her long-term boyfriend planned to get engaged this summer. Karenna's brother, Jared, also planned to propose to his girlfriend soon.

The NTSB hopes to have a preliminary report on their investigation out in about 30 days and a final report in 12-18 months.