Somewhere between operating on Park Avenue patients and treating children on the other side of the world, Dr. Andrew Jacono has found time to summit some of the planet’s more demanding peaks. He has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Cotopaxi in Ecuador, and Mount Elbrus in Russia, each ascent tied directly to a fundraising campaign rather than a personal bucket list.

The money raised through these climbs supports two humanitarian causes the dual board-certified facial plastic surgeon has pursued for years: reconstructive surgery for survivors of domestic violence and surgical missions for children born with facial deformities. Both efforts require funding well beyond what a single physician’s schedule or personal donations can cover.

Turning Physical Endurance Into Medical Access

Surgical missions carry logistical costs that go beyond the procedures themselves, including travel, equipment, and support staff needed to treat children in Colombia, Ecuador, Thailand, and Vietnam. Dr. Andrew Jacono has used climbs like these to help close that funding gap, treating the physical challenge as an extension of his medical mission rather than a separate pursuit.

Domestically, funds raised through similar efforts have supported his work with the FACE TO FACE project, where Dr. Andrew Jacono serves as senior advisor and has personally reconstructed the faces of more than 100 survivors of domestic violence. For nine years, he also chaired ABOUT FACE: MAKING CHANGES, an annual benefit dedicated to the same cause.

A Career Defined by Two Missions

Dr. Jacono’s international work has reached more than 750 children treated for cleft lips, cleft palates, microtia, and burn scars through organizations including Healing the Children and the HUGS Foundation. He typically travels twice a year, often bringing fellow surgeons along on these trips.

As Fellowship Director for the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, he now trains the next generation of surgeons in both technique and the broader responsibility of using surgical skill to serve people who cannot otherwise afford it. See related link for additional information.

Follow for more information about Dr. Andrew Jacono on https://www.facebook.com/DrJacono/