When people think of humanitarian medicine, they often picture rural clinics or disaster relief. Dr. Andrew Jacono operates in less-familiar territory: reconstructing faces damaged by domestic violence and repairing congenital deformities in children who live in countries where specialized surgery is simply unavailable. His work represents a disciplined long-term commitment rather than occasional charity.

A dual board-certified facial plastic surgeon based in New York, Dr. Jacono has been quietly building this humanitarian record alongside his private practice. The impulse behind it dates to medical school, when he watched cleft repair surgery change the social life of a girl who had been ostracized by her peers. That observation became a personal directive.

Serving Survivors of Domestic Violence

Dr. Andrew Jacono’s work with domestic violence survivors flows through the FACE TO FACE project, a program of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery that provides pro bono surgical care to abuse victims. As the program’s senior advisor, he has performed facial reconstructions for more than 100 survivors.

The 2011 documentary series Facing Trauma gave that work a national platform. Broadcast on Discovery Fit & Health and later on the Oprah Winfrey Network, the show followed Dr. Jacono through surgeries for survivors of domestic violence and traumatic injury, placing his work within a broader conversation about the intersection of medicine and social justice.

Formal honors have recognized these contributions. The Center for the Women of New York awarded Dr. Jacono a “Good Guy” Award in 2006. Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy memorialized his service in the Congressional Record. His chairmanship of ABOUT FACE: MAKING CHANGES lasted nine years, sustaining an annual fundraising effort for survivors of domestic violence.

Seven Hundred and Fifty Children Served

Dr. Andrew Jacono’s international mission work has reached more than 750 pediatric patients across Colombia, Ecuador, Thailand, Vietnam, and other countries. He partners with Healing the Children, the HUGS Foundation, and THAI Children on approximately two missions per year, treating cleft lip and palate, microtia, tumors, and burn scarring in children who have no other path to care.

Fundraising climbs up Kilimanjaro, Cotopaxi, and Elbrus have supported these efforts financially. Through teaching positions at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and North Shore University Hospital, and through his role as Fellowship Director at the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Dr. Jacono also ensures that the next generation of surgeons carries forward the understanding that expertise and service are inseparable. Read this article for related information.

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