Facing a Global Need
FACE TO FACE is a humanitarian and educational surgical exchange program conducted under the auspices of the Educational and Research Foundation for the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS Foundation).

Our surgeons assist those who suffer from facial deformities caused by congenital birth defects or by trauma. Most of those we have helped abroad have been children.

Unlike other programs, FACE TO FACE makes the educational exchange among facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons all over the world an integral part of its program. Our surgeons are men and women who believe that a more lasting impact is made on communities when our FACE TO FACE teams work together with local medical personnel to manage an individual's care. Mutual respect grows as different surgical approaches are discussed and demonstrated.

In addition to providing “hands-on” training, our volunteers exchange case analysis and share published information. This exchange of information, knowledge, and techniques is encouraged and contributes to the long-term success of the program.

The Faces Behind Our Program
FACE TO FACE is staffed by medical personnel – facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons, nurses, speech pathologists and anesthesiologists – who donate their time and expertise, frequently for two weeks at a time. Members of the FACE TO FACE delegation have, for example, helped a two-year-old toddler in Russia abandoned by her parents at birth because of a congenital facial deformity. They have administered to a twelve-year old boy in a war zone in Croatia where he sustained severe facial trauma after playing with a loaded rifle. And they have cared for women and children in this country where domestic violence has wreaked havoc on their lives both emotionally and physically. These are faces that you have seen on the news and sometimes in your own community.

Our surgeons travel all over the world, but their mission is the same wherever they go: they treat one face at a time, one person at a time.

Skill At Work
The FACE TO FACE program both in the United States and abroad offers individuals the opportunity to overcome the physical limitations placed on them by circumstances beyond their control — deformities at birth, domestic violence and war. Our surgeons use their expertise to perform plastic and reconstructive surgery of the face, head, and neck. This includes the following procedures: cleft lip and cleft palate repair; microtia reconstruction – the surgical creation of external ears for infants born without them; rebuilding of all forms of congenital facial and cranial deformities; reconstruction of facial soft tissues after war injuries, burns, domestic violence and cancer excisions; the excision of childhood facial tumors and reconstruction.

These are examples of the work that our dedicated surgeons perform on FACE TO FACE trips. While the patients still have enormous hurdles to overcome, at least they are given a chance to deal with them without physical limitations.

We are very proud of our humanitarian programs and how they are changing lives for the better. The American Society of Association Executives' (ASAE) honored AAFPRS with the 1995 Summit Award for FACE TO FACE: The National Domestic Violence Project and the 1995 Award of Excellence for FACE TO FACE: International. The American Medical Association Board of Trustees has given the AAFPRS the 1995 President's Citation for Service to the Public Award.

A Partnership Approach
FACE TO FACE depends on people like you to make a difference. Although surgeons and other medical personnel give freely of their time and expertise, FACE TO FACE still needs funding to cover ancillary expenses. We always appreciate donations of medical supplies and equipment, but when one of our international colleagues is in urgent need of equipment we provide the funding for the purchase. We also need funds to offset costs for developing teaching symposia and producing educational materials.

Because the Educational and Research Foundation for the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is a non-profit organization a 501 (c)(3), your contribution to FACE TO FACE is tax deductible to the fullest extent provided by law.

Your gift now can change the lives of thousands — of men, women and children, both here at home and abroad.

FACE TO FACE Humanitarian Programs