Richard L. Bucciarelli

Richard L. Bucciarelli, M.D.

Dr. Bucciarelli, a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Medicine ('72M), is boarded in Pediatrics, Pediatric Cardiology, and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and continues to actively practice Neonatology at the University of Florida.

After graduation and completion of his pediatric training at the University of Florida, he served as a member of the pediatric faculty at the University of Utah for four years.  He then returned to the University of Florida in 1982 as Chief of Neonatology.  

In 1990 he became a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow and worked in the office of Senator John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV).  As a health policy legislative assistant, Dr. Bucciarelli was instrumental in drafting several pieces of legislation, including the Medicare physician payment system (RBRVS) and the Democratic leadership bill for universal health coverage for all Americans.  From 1991-2001, Dr. Bucciarelli served as Associate Chair of Pediatrics and became very involved in pediatric health policy research as a member of the Institute for Child Health Policy at UF.  For the past several years, he and his colleagues have analyzed various aspects of the Healthy Kids program in Florida, as well as, Florida's SCHIP program, KidCare.

Dr. Bucciarelli also has served on the AAP Committee on Federal Governmental Affairs for six years before becoming Chair in 1999.  At the same time he was appointed as Chair of the AAP Workgroup on Access and Health Care Coverage for Children and is one of the major architects of the AAP MediKids proposal, which was introduced by Representative Pete Stark (D-CA) and Senator John D. Rockefeller, IV (D-WV) and is currently before Congress.  In 2007, he was appointed to the Academy's Committee on State Governmental Affairs where he serves today.

In January of 2001, he became the Associate Vice-President for Health Affairs for Governmental Relations, representing the health science in Washington and in Tallahassee and in September of 2002, he was appointed Vice President for Government Relations for the University of Florida where he was responsible for all government relations activities for the University at both the state and federal levels.  In April 2004, he returned to the UF Health Science Center in his capacity as Associate Vice President for Health for Government Relations.  In May 2007 he assumed the duties of Interim Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Florida and was appointed Chair and Nemours Eminent Scholar in March, 2008.  With this appointment, Rick resigned his government relations position to dedicate full time to the department and to advocacy for children's health care issues.

Despite this heavy administrative load, Dr. Bucciarelli remains active as a practicing neonatologist and teacher and is the Immediate Past-President of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics