Not every surgeon who excels in a commercial practice chooses to redirect that skill toward unpaid service. Dr. Andrew Jacono has done exactly that, building a humanitarian track record that rivals the scope of his private practice work. His pro bono contributions span domestic violence recovery programs and pediatric surgical missions across multiple countries.
Dr. Jacono, a dual board-certified facial plastic surgeon based in New York, traces his orientation toward humanitarian work to a scene from medical school. A young girl with a cleft lip and palate had been ostracized by classmates. Surgery changed her circumstances. Witnessing that transformation convinced Dr. Jacono that reconstructive surgical skill is never purely technical; it carries social weight.
Reconstructing Faces After Abuse
Dr. Andrew Jacono serves as senior advisor to the FACE TO FACE project of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, which provides pro bono facial reconstruction to survivors of domestic violence. His personal contribution to the program has exceeded 100 completed surgeries.
The reality documentary Facing Trauma, which ran on Discovery Fit & Health in 2011 and later on the Oprah Winfrey Network, documented Dr. Jacono performing these procedures while capturing the emotional arc of patients rebuilding their identities after trauma. The program brought meaningful exposure to a field of medicine that rarely appears in mainstream media.
His work earned formal recognition from the Center for the Women of New York through a 2006 “Good Guy” Award. Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy cited his contributions in the Congressional Record. For nine years, he chaired ABOUT FACE: MAKING CHANGES, an annual benefit for survivors of domestic violence.
Children’s Lives Changed Overseas
Internationally, Dr. Andrew Jacono has performed surgery on more than 750 children across Colombia, Ecuador, Thailand, Vietnam, and neighboring countries. He works twice annually with Healing the Children, the HUGS Foundation, and THAI Children, treating cleft lip and palate, microtia, facial tumors, and burn scarring. These conditions frequently prevent children from attending school or participating in community activities in the regions where Dr. Jacono works.
His fundraising climbs up Kilimanjaro, Cotopaxi, and Elbrus have generated support for both his domestic and international programs. Through faculty positions at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and his Fellowship Director role, Dr. Jacono also works to train surgeons who understand humanitarian service as a professional responsibility rather than a personal choice. See related link for more information.
Like for more about Dr. Andrew Jacono on https://www.facebook.com/DrJacono/