Meet Dr. Ming Y. Lim – Recipient of the 2021 FWGBD Research Fellowship Award

Ming Y. Lim, MBBChir, MSCR is currently medical director of the Utah Center for Bleeding & Clotting Disorders at University of Utah Health. She earned her medical degree at Cambridge University, England and          completed her residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic Rochester and her fellowship training in hematology and oncology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Lim specializes in the field of hemostasis and thrombosis. In 2021, she received our Research Fellowship Award for Promoting XXcellence in Women’s Health: Optimal Management of Women and Girls with Blood Disorders and Bleeding Disorders. 

The focus of Dr. Lim’s research with this funding is “to determine pregnancy outcomes and postpartum contraception in women with von Willebrand disease using a unique, statewide, population-based cohort that is linked to electronic health records, the Utah Population Database.” Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is a common bleeding disorder, which affects approximately one in 100 individuals. People with VWD experience delayed or abnormal blood clotting. For pregnant women with VWD, there can be heavy, hard-to-stop bleeding after childbirth.

“It is well-recognized that women with bleeding disorders are underrecognized and underdiagnosed,” explains Dr. Lim. “There is a critical need to raise awareness for both healthcare providers and patients to improve the care of women with von Willebrand disease. My project is a first step in identifying the magnitude of the problem in the contemporary era.”

Dr. Lim believes the successful completion of her project will have a positive impact on the VWD community by providing the necessary evidence to inform institutional, local and regional service providers, insurance payers and state policymakers to enhance clinical services, tailor educational programs and track outcomes on the needs of women with VWD.

“This will strengthen the care of women with von Willebrand locally and regionally, leading to a reduction in pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality,” she says.

Next up, Dr. Lim plans to conduct a needs assessment for women with VWD in Utah to examine trends in acute care utilization across all ages and identify factors associated with increased acute care utilization. She also plans to engage patients and providers in a qualitative study to understand the barriers and facilitators to a timely diagnosis of inherited bleeding disorders.

FWGBD is excited to congratulate Dr. Lim on this award. We look forward to hearing more about her research in the future.

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