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Dr. Joyce first got interested in medicine while growing up on a farm in Nebraska, where he and his father spent a lot of time taking care of animals, but ultimately he knew he wanted to heal people. His favorite operation is the heart transplant. "There's nothing quite like trading an old, nearly dead heart for a new normally-functioning one," Joyce says. He says that seeing patients get well and return to their normal lives as a result of such an operation is one of the most satisfying things about being a surgeon. |
One of Dr. Joyce's favorite memories is putting a new heart into a man who was a champion calf-roper, and then getting to watch him win the world championship less than six months after the operation. Another favorite memory was having the privilege of implanting the world's first total artificial heart in 1982. For the first time, a person could function with an artifical heart; this continues to be one of Dr. Joyce's chief areas of interest as the field progresses. |
Dr. Joyce is married with four grown children, Sheri, David, Laura, and Daniel. The older two are in training to be doctors, siting their father as the inspiration for their careers. Dr. Joyce hopes that he will be remembered as one who cared deeply for his patients, loved to teach his residents new skills, and had surgical skill second to none. |
| Download Dr. Joyce's Curriculum Vitae (pdf) |
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