At BDC, VABDF Community Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator Paxton Mills was recognized by NBDF with the Lived Experience Expert of the Year Award for her contributions to research efforts benefiting people living with bleeding disorders. This award honors an individual who turns personal experience into progress for all.
Paxton first got involved with VABDF when she volunteered as a teenager at the chapter’s UNITE for Bleeding Disorders Walk in Richmond. Since then, she completed NBDF’s National Youth Leadership Institute, represented youth on the NBDF Board of Directors, planned and served as a speaker at various BDCs, presented at chapter events around the country, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Richmond, co-authored research on the diagnostic gap for women and girls with bleeding disorders, was named a Susan Skinner Scholar by the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH), and was nominated for the Christine Lee Young Researcher Award by WFH.
The Lived Experience Expert of the Year Award celebrates the potential of lived experience to shape meaningful research, something Paxton demonstrates through her advocacy for both the Community Voices in Research (CVR) registry and underserved populations within our community.
Congratulations, Paxton!!!
