Vito C. Quatela, M.D.  - The Founder of HUGS

A Word from Dr. Quatela 

I cannot begin to adequately express the importance of the work we do on our missions. Each time we travel to a distant land, we are able to leave knowing that about 50 young people have been dramatically impacted by our efforts. Their faces have been changed, and their lives will never be the same. I invite you to join with me in continuing this important task, so that together, using the talents and resources that we have, we may leave this world a little better than we found it.

~Vito C. Quatela, M.D.

Read articles written by Dr. Quatela about HUGS MISSIONS.

About Vito C. Quatela, M.D.

With a practice located at Lindsay House Center for Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery in Rochester, NY, Dr. Vito C. Quatela specializes exclusively in facial plastic surgery. Dr. Quatela, a recognized leader in the field of aesthetic surgery, is Board Certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (ABO).

Dr. Quatela has been acknowledged as a distinguished educator, evidenced by his many Professorships and Lectureships including Australia, Argentina, Hawaii, Washington, DC, Toronto, Palm Desert, Newport Beach, San Diego, San Antonio and New York. Prestigious Universities and Medical Centers such as Mt. Sinai, Mayo Clinic, Vanderbilt, Northwestern and Tulane along with the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) have sought his lectures and demonstrations.

Recognition of Dr. Quatela's outstanding contribution has resulted in multiple honors and awards including the AAFPRS Distinguished Education Award, the AAFPRS Dickinson Award for Excellence in Teaching and the AAO-HNS Honor Award. Currently he holds the position of Group Vice President of Education for the AAFPRS, the largest academic society of specialty plastic surgeons in the world. He has served on the AAFPRS Board of Governors, the Board of Directors and as the Eastern Regional Vice President. He has helped innovate and pioneer many of the most advanced artistic and scientific techniques in facial plastic surgery today including the midcheek facelift and endoscopic browlift. He contributes frequently to the medical literature including book chapters, journal articles and national scientific publications.

As a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Rochester, Dr. Quatela now contributes his talents and skills where his extraordinary career began. After graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Rochester, Dr. Quatela completed medical school at Northwestern University in Chicago. He was honored with a surgical residency at the Medical Center of Vermont and an otolaryngology residency at Northwestern University. The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery awarded him Fellowships at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana and Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and is an AAFPRS Fellowship Preceptor entrusted with training future facial plastic surgeons

With a deep commitment to family and tradition, Dr. Quatela resides with his wife and three children in Rochester, NY. Calling Rochester "home" for nearly 40 years, Dr. and Mrs. Quatela feel blessed to raise their children surrounded by the love of nearby extended family. In August 2002, Dr. Quatela went with a multispecialty team to Ecuador to provide healthcare to the underprivileged. As a member of a team of physicians, nurses and coworkers, this medical mission serves the poor, resulting in the surgical treatment of adults and children with birth defects and other serious reconstructive problems.