TV Series Once Followed Dr. Andrew Jacono’s Charity Work
Before streaming platforms flooded viewers with medical documentaries, a 2011 television series called Facing Trauma gave audiences a rare look inside the operating room of Dr. Andrew Jacono, a facial plastic surgeon working with survivors of domestic violence. The show aired first on Discovery Fit & Health and later found a home on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
Each episode paired the technical detail of facial reconstruction with the personal accounts of patients whose injuries came from abuse. Dr.Andrew Jacono performed the procedures featured on camera, part of his long-standing role as senior advisor to the FACE TO FACE project, a program of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
More Than a Camera Following Surgery
The series highlighted a population that rarely appears in mainstream health coverage. Facial injuries from domestic violence carry consequences that extend past physical pain, often complicating survivors’ ability to find work or feel comfortable in public. Through FACE TO FACE, Dr. Andrew Jacono has performed reconstructive procedures for more than 100 survivors, work that predates and outlasted the show’s run.
His advocacy around this issue earned formal recognition well before cameras arrived. The Center for the Women of New York gave him a Good Guy Award in 2006, and U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy commended his contributions in the Congressional Record. He also chaired ABOUT FACE: MAKING CHANGES, an annual fundraiser for domestic violence survivors, for nine consecutive years.
A Career That Reaches Beyond One Cause
Dr. Jacono’s humanitarian work extends well past the subject matter of Facing Trauma. He has also performed surgery on more than 750 children abroad, treating cleft lips, cleft palates, and other congenital conditions through missions in Colombia, Ecuador, Thailand, and Vietnam.
He climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Elbrus to raise money supporting both causes, and today serves as Fellowship Director for the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, shaping how future surgeons think about combining technical training with charitable service. Read this article for more information.
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