Marc Polacco, MD

Dr. Marc Polacco is a Board Certified Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon. In addition to being a FACE to FACE Domestic Violence Surgeon, Dr. Polacco serves on the Board of Directors of the American Melanoma Institute.

He attended Gustavus Adolphus College, obtaining Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Biology and Chemistry, as well as a minor in music. He then received a full-tuition scholarship to attend medical school at the University of Iowa, where he graduated with distinctions in research and the humanities. In addition, he secured a research grant from the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, an award granted to only one student per medical school annually. In his final year he was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society in recognition of his volunteerism at a free mental health clinic.

Following medical school, he completed a 5-year residency in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, one of the most competitive specialties, at Dartmouth. During his time at Dartmouth, he published numerous scientific articles and received the New England Otolaryngology Society resident research grant, awarded to only one resident annually among all otolaryngology residents in New England. Following residency, he was selected amongst a nation-wide pool for a Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery fellowship position at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). At the conclusion of his fellowship, he scored at the 90th percentile on the national facial plastic and reconstructive surgery board examination.

Continuing to balance science with the humanities, during his fellowship he and a Dartmouth colleague collaborated to launch a non-profit organization, the American Melanoma Institute, dedicated to education, research, and support for those diagnosed with melanoma as well as their loved ones. Dr. Polacco is also strong proponent of education and has served as a volunteer clinical assistant professor of facial plastic surgery at Augusta University and the University of Iowa. He also serves as a reviewer for several medical journals, including Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and the Aesthetic Surgery Journal.