Rae Blaylark is the Founder and President of Sickle Cell Foundation of Minnesota as well as the proud mother of a young adult son living with sickle cell disease. Ms. Blaylark founded Sickle Cell Foundation of MN as a means to increase local and national awareness of sickle cell disease, elevate the voices of the community and improve healthcare outcomes in this population.

Over the past 20+ years, Ms. Blaylark has served on several state and national health advisory committees and has represented the sickle cell community in various professional roles, including blood and marrow donor recruitment, pediatric care coordination, hemoglobinopathy counselor, program coordinator, community liaison and community health worker. Ms. Blaylark brings a unique perspective and experiences into her role as a community leader who has navigated the sickle cell space both outside of the healthcare system as a caregiver and on the inside of the system as part of the pediatric clinical care team. It is through this dual lens that Ms. Blaylark continues to impact the trajectory of many individuals, families and professionals, all of whom have a critical role in improving the outcomes of this precious population.