Allison Mollet, MMSc, PA-C, grew up in Seal Beach, California. She and her twin sister were born to a Dutch mother and Hispanic father. She has very fond memories of her childhood with her twin sister, and they are still very close today. Some of the members of her father’s family were darker skinned and were treated differently when he was growing up. This treatment profoundly affected him and consequently impacted the way he raised his daughters.
Mollet had multiple interests growing up, including dance, vocal performance, softball, and riding the “beach buggy” to Seal Beach with friends. A fan of rock and roll, she admits the first R&R song she heard was “Whip It” by Devo. In 1993, her vocal group was invited to perform with Michael Jackson as part of the Superbowl half-time show.
Mollet’s education includes Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA, where she received a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, physical therapy in 1998. She earned a Master of Medical Science Degree in 2002 from Yale University School of Medicine’s Physician Associate Program.
After graduation, Mollet’s first position was with Joseph G. Mayo, M.D. (whose grandfather was one of the founders of the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota). He had a quirky and honest, yet caring bedside manner, and his philosophy of medicine was like none she had seen before. Mollet admits his mannerisms made her feel confident being herself with patients and was influential to her as a young PA. She later worked with Dr. David Oliak in general and bariatric surgery from 2006 –2024 at the Oliak Center in Brea, CA, a field she enjoyed tremendously.
In 2013 an opportunity to help shape future generations of PAs presented itself. Mollet made the shift from full-time clinical practice to academia and became part of the founding faculty of Marshall B. Ketchum University (MBKU)’s School of Physician Assistant Studies, (Fullerton, CA). She served as Director of Research and then Director of Didactic Education until 2017 when she became the PA program’s director and an associate professor. She successfully led that program until 2024.
Although she loved the students, faculty and staff at MBKU, there was a pull to chase the dream of owning her own clinic. Leaving academia was one of her toughest professional decisions, but she saw this as an exciting opportunity to open her own clinic with long-time colleague Dr. David Oliak, where she would be able to use her clinical and personal experiences to create a patient-centered practice in a field that was personally important to her.
In May 2024, she became the founder of “MD Total Wellness”, in Brea, CA. The clinic specializes in hormone replacement and weight loss for men and women. She is involved in all aspects of clinic management and operations, as well as patient care.
There are several people who Mollet looks up to and who inspire her. First is her father, Bruce Rivers. She describes him as a kind and compassionate person, wise, with a heart for Christ. She adds her mother, Jannie, is one of the most loyal and giving people she knows. Together with her father, they made significant sacrifices to help raise Mollet and her sister. Her husband, Mark Mollet, is an incredibly hard worker, who works up to 4 jobs at one time to help support their family and allow them to travel abroad and gain invaluable experiences. He is a huge supporter of her dreams and made starting a clinic possible. She sees her twin sister, Gayle Mashburn, as talented, smart, and someone who always knows the proper way to handle the toughest of situations. Finally, Mollet lists David Oliak, MD, as someone she respects and admires. He is the true definition of a life-long learner with a genuine curiosity for medicine that makes him an exceptional medical provider.
In considering her contributions to the PA profession, Mollet states being founding faculty and later program director for the MBKU School of PA Studies is most special to her and one of her significant accomplishments. She finds it incredibly rewarding to see the program thrive and, more so, to see students doing amazing and incredible things as board certified PAs both locally and globally. The quality of the program and faculty are something she is very proud of. When asked what Mollet would like her professional legacy to be, she lists quality education and high standards in PA education which are essential for the survival of the profession and for the health and safety of patients. Humbleness and compassion are equally essential, not just for patient care, but for life, relationships, and leadership.
Finally, Mollet is deeply grateful for the freedom we enjoy, without which she may never have had the career she’s had so far. She believes it’s important to take care of our military and veterans. She states, “99% of people enjoy the freedom we have in the US while 1% wake up each day to protect it”. This is one reason why she advocated for veterans to receive additional consideration in the admissions process at MBKU. Furthermore, our PA profession was founded from the ranks of the military.
Acknowledgements: This biography was prepared by Richard C. Vause, Jr., DHSc, MPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA, FCPP, with the assistance of Allison Mollet and was submitted to the Society in September 2024. Photographs are courtesy of Ms. Mollet.
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