Advancing Care Through Connection: Dr. Misbah Baqir’s Impact on the LAM Community
For more than 14 years, Dr. Misbah Baqir has cared for people living with LAM. Her connection to the LAM community began early in her medical training, when her mentor, Dr. Jay Ryu, invited her to attend regional LAM meetings in Minnesota. What stood out right away was the patients.
“They asked thoughtful, challenging questions,” Dr. Baqir recalls. “Many were incredibly well informed.” Over time, these meetings became more than educational events. Seeing familiar faces year after year created a strong sense of trust and belonging. What once felt like a conference slowly began to feel like a family.
Dr. Baqir learned that simply being present mattered. Patients valued knowing there was a provider who understood their disease and was committed to walking alongside them. That sense of shared purpose has stayed with her and continues to motivate her work today.
As her career grew, so did her involvement with The LAM Foundation. Now the LAM Clinic Director at Mayo Clinic Rochester, Dr. Baqir has worked closely with the Foundation on research and patient care. Through these connections, she participated in major studies like the MILES trial, contributed patient samples to
laboratory research, and helped patients enroll in clinical trials—even when her own clinic was not an official study site.
One recent collaboration focused on the use of sirolimus during pregnancy, an area where little information exists. Sharing real-world experience in this space helped address an important and sensitive need for people with LAM.
The LAM Foundation has also supported Dr. Baqir’s professional growth by connecting her with a global network of LAM providers and researchers. Attending Foundation meetings has allowed her to learn from scientists studying the disease and to help bring research discoveries closer to patient care.
Dr. Baqir has also served on The LAM Foundation’s Clinical Advisory Board. In this role, she has helped develop vaccination recommendations, participated in provider surveys, and shared real-world clinical concerns. In October 2025, she served as LAM Expert of the Month, answering questions from patients and providers around the world—an experience she describes as both humbling and rewarding.
Through every role, one thing remains clear: Dr. Baqir continues to learn from the LAM community itself. That ongoing exchange of knowledge, trust, and hope is why she remains deeply committed to supporting people living with LAM.
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