In 1969, Children's Heartlink was founded by Twin Cities Heart and Lung's senior partners. Children's Heartlink is an international medical charity dedicated to the treatment and prevention of heart disease in needy children.

Children's Heartlink provides training to medical centers around the world by sending teams of volunteer surgeons, nurses, and staff, and also provides equipment and supplies. They also help subsidize procedures performed at needy hospitals. Since its founding, the charity has aided thousands of children in thirty-five countries.

Dr. Joyce has been to Kenya with Children's Heartlink, where he helped train African surgeons on new procedures. Close professional ties have been maintained with international surgeons and medical teams because of these ventures.

On one trip to Kenya, Dr. Joyce was working about 180 km north of Nairobi in Nyeri, where a 10-year-old girl was in severe respiratory failure. She needed surgery in order to live, and Children’s Heart Link was able to provide the funds for the surgery. Dr. Joyce drove her down to Nairobi one weekend and did the case the following week. She did well through the surgery, and continues to live in Nyeri in good health.

Dr. Joyce has also been involved in medical outreach activities including a teaching mission to Egypt with USAID.