The television series that aired under the title Facing Trauma gave millions of viewers a window into a corner of medicine rarely seen on camera: the reconstruction of faces broken by violence or deformity, and the human stories of recovery that followed. At the center of that series was Dr. Andrew Jacono, a dual board-certified facial plastic surgeon whose charitable work preceded the cameras by years and has continued long after filming ended.
Dr. Andrew Jacono operates a high-profile practice in New York, but a substantial part of his professional identity has been shaped by surgery performed for free for domestic violence survivors across the United States and for children born with facial deformities in countries where specialized care does not reach them. His is a career built on the premise that surgical skill generates obligation as well as opportunity.
Healing Survivors of Abuse
The FACE-TO-FACE program, an initiative of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, has been the primary vehicle for Dr. Andrew Jacono’s work with domestic violence survivors. As senior advisor to the program, he has performed reconstructive procedures for more than 100 individuals whose injuries were caused by abuse. Surgeries address a range of trauma: scar tissue, facial fractures that healed improperly, and soft tissue injuries that have altered appearance and function.
The stakes are rarely only cosmetic. Facial injuries from violence can impair breathing, vision, and speech. They can prevent survivors from moving through the world without being identified by their wounds a particular burden for those trying to separate themselves from abusive relationships and rebuild careers and families.
Dr. Jacono’s organizational commitment to this cause included nine years chairing ABOUT FACE: MAKING CHANGES, a benefit event for domestic violence survivors. His contributions were recognized by the Center for the Women of New York with a “Good Guy” Award in 2006 and by U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, who formally commended his work in the Congressional Record.
International Missions and Teaching
On the international side, Dr. Andrew Jacono has provided surgical care to more than 750 children during missions to Colombia, Ecuador, Thailand, Vietnam, and other countries. Working with Healing the Children, the HUGS Foundation, and THAI Children, he treats conditions cleft lips, palate deformities, microtia, burn scars, facial tumors that carry not just medical but severe social consequences in the communities where these children live.
He has fundraised for these missions by climbing some of the world’s prominent peaks, including Mount Kilimanjaro, Cotopaxi, and Mount Elbrus. As Fellowship Director for the AAFPRS and a faculty member at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, he shapes how surgical trainees think about the relationship between professional expertise and public responsibility. Refer to this article to learn more.
Follow for more about Dr. Andrew Jacono on https://www.youtube.com/c/drandrewjacono