Dr. Regina Legere-Buccellato served as Board President of the New York City Hemophilia Chapter (NYCHC) from 2020 to 2024, taking on this leadership role at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. During a time of unprecedented uncertainty and isolation, Regina faced the unique challenge of helping the community maintain a sense of connection and belonging. Through innovation and compassion, she worked to ensure that members received vital support, advocacy, and services despite the limitations of a socially distanced world.
Regina has been an active community member of NYCHC for more than 15 years. After attending her first hemophilia walk in 2010, her family came back the following year to establish their own team, Buccellato Brothers, which has consistently been among the top NYC fundraising teams ever since. Regina’s dedication to the bleeding disorders community was recognized in 2013, when she and her husband were honored with the Award of Distinction, the highest honor received at the annual NYCHC Gala.
Regina also serves as a Lived Experience Expert of the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation (NBDF) National Research Blueprint and has been invited to speak on her personal and professional experience at the NBDF Chapter Leadership Seminar and Bleeding Disorders Conference. In addition, she is a tireless advocate on behalf of the bleeding disorders community, travelling abroad to meet with industry manufacturers and connect with the international bleeding disorders community, as well as to meet with lawmakers locally, in Albany, and in Washington D.C.—sharing her family’s story, advocating for better treatment options, and expanding access to quality healthcare. Her unending dedication to advocating for those with bleeding disorders was recognized at the 2019 NYCHC Gala, when she was honored with the Advocate of the Year Award.
As a Clinical Psychologist, Regina has been proactive in ensuring the healthiest developmental outcomes for her teenagers, who both have a bleeding disorder. With a professional understanding of how chronic medical issues can impact a child’s emotional and social development, she understands the importance of protecting normal childhood development within the barriers of precaution and safety of living with a bleeding disorder. Likewise, she is sensitive to those who have had to endure medical challenges and face mental health setbacks, as well as the adjustments parents and families must make in raising a child with a bleeding disorder. Regina has spoken at NYCHC Education Day and has provided workshops on navigating parenthood issues and other mental health topics. She aims to continue to bring a unique perspective of awareness and advocacy to mental health issues subsequent to bleeding disorders, shed light on areas that have been overlooked and unexplored, and provide support and guidance for our community.
