How Dr. Andrew Jacono Uses Surgery to Rebuild Lives Beyond the OR
A cleft lip. A scar from a partner’s fist. A facial tumor on a child in rural Ecuador. These are the conditions that have defined much of Dr. Andrew Jacono‘s career outside the Park Avenue operating rooms where he is also one of New York’s most sought-after cosmetic surgeons. The dual nature of that career elite private practice alongside sustained charitable service reflects a deliberate choice about what surgical skill is for.
Dr. Andrew Jacono is a dual board-certified facial plastic surgeon whose humanitarian work has taken two primary forms: reconstructive surgery for domestic violence survivors in the United States and pediatric surgical missions in developing countries. Together, those efforts have touched more than 850 patients who received care they would otherwise never have accessed.
The FACE TO FACE Program
Through the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery’s FACE TO FACE project, Dr. Andrew Jacono has donated reconstructive surgery to more than 100 survivors of abuse. He serves as senior advisor to the program, which matches survivors with plastic surgeons willing to provide pro bono care. The procedures address scarring, broken bones left to heal incorrectly, and other facial injuries sustained during violent incidents.
Facial trauma from abuse creates layered harm. The physical injuries are often severe and sometimes permanently disfiguring. But the scars also function as constant reminders of violence affecting how survivors see themselves, how others perceive them, and how effectively they can move forward in employment, social settings, and personal relationships. Reconstructive surgery can interrupt that cycle.
Dr. Jacono brought widespread attention to this work through Facing Trauma, a documentary series that aired in 2011 on Discovery Fit & Health and later on the Oprah Winfrey Network. The program followed him as he performed surgeries for victims of domestic violence and traumatic injury, combining medical content with the personal stories of people rebuilding their lives.
Children Served Across Four Continents
Dr. Andrew Jacono has led or participated in surgical missions across Colombia, Ecuador, Thailand, Vietnam, and other nations, providing care to more than 750 children through organizations including Healing the Children and the HUGS Foundation. The conditions he addresses cleft lips and palates, microtia, burn scars, and tumors carry heavy social consequences in the communities where these children grow up. Surgery changes not just appearance but access: to school, to community participation, to a future.
To fund the logistical costs of these missions, Dr. Jacono has taken on physically demanding fundraising challenges, including summit climbs of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Cotopaxi in Ecuador, and Mount Elbrus in Russia. The Center for the Women of New York recognized his domestic contributions with a “Good Guy” Award in 2006, and U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy placed a formal commendation in the Congressional Record. See related link for additional information.
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