Region 3 Director
Donald Bucher, DNP, ACNP-BC, AGNP-C, FAANP
Dr. Donald H. Bucher is the American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) Region 3 Director. Dr. Bucher is Vice Chair Advanced Practice for the Department of Medicine at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, where he leads more than 80 advanced practice providers. He practices as an adult-gerontology nurse practitioner in an urban clinic, specializing in LGBTQ+ health and HIV primary care and prevention.
Dr. Bucher brings over 20 years of experience in acute and critical care nursing and has held numerous leadership roles at the state and national levels. He previously served as the AANP Pennsylvania State Representative and as president-elect and treasurer of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioners. He currently serves on the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing as Vice Chair and is recent board chair of the LGBT Center of Central PA, advancing inclusive, patient-centered care.
His honors include the Cameo of Caring Award for Advanced Practice (2013); Nightingale Award for Advanced Practice (2014); AANP Pennsylvania Clinical Excellence Award (2015); Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians (2016); and the Sheila Galey Award (2020). He was named a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in 2023. In 2026, he received the AANP State Award for Outstanding Contributions and a Penn State Alumni Award, and Feb. 26, 2026, was proclaimed “Donald Bucher Day” in Dauphin County in recognition of his service.