Holly Parker, MMS, MPH, PA-C, is a devoted physician assistant/associate (PA) and assistant professor with five years of experience as an Air Force PA and a strong commitment to education and policymaking.
Parker was born and raised in Bosqueville, Texas – a small, rural town with limited access to healthcare resources. With just 25 people in her graduating class and the nearest hospital forty minutes away, Parker has a clear understanding of life in a rural town. Growing up, she stayed active in many sports, including basketball, volleyball, softball, cheerleading, and archery. After graduating high school in 2006, she headed to Dallas, Texas, to attend Dallas Baptist University (DBU). Over the next four years, Parker was a full-time biology major and worked in a biology lab where she assisted with research and anatomy courses. She developed a love for the PA profession while shadowing during her college years, sharing that the collaborative and communicative role of a PA aligned well with her character and professional work desires.
In 2010, Parker earned her bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from DBU. With a newfound passion for becoming a PA, Parker spent one year working as a cardiology tech while refining her applications to PA programs. During this time, Parker discovered she also had a growing desire to learn about the history behind disease processes, the effects of social determinants of health, and the process of policy development. Jumping at the chance to study both simultaneously, she made a courageous move to Philadelphia to attend the 3-year dual Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant (MMS) and Public Health (MPH) program at Arcadia University.
During her first year as a PA student, she was recruited by the Air Force Academy. In May 2014, she proudly graduated with her MMS and MPH from Arcadia University and was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force. After completing her 6-week officer training in Alabama, Parker was stationed at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas. She began working as a PA at McConnell Air Force Base in August 2014 and spent two years providing challenging yet rewarding healthcare for Airmen, retired military personnel, and their families. Parker notes that her most meaningful contribution to the PA profession has been her work caring for military families. She felt honored and privileged to provide healthcare for spouses and children when loved ones were deployed, serving as a consistent source of support and reassurance when needed. Parker identified health concerns often unique to children with deployed parents and worked diligently to educate patients and parents on what to look for, such as monitoring weight, anxiety, and stress levels.
Feeling fulfilled, yet wanting more, Parker renewed her officer contract and was sent to work in Osan, South Korea. Parker shares that her work in South Korea was some of the most impactful and humbling for her as a clinician. Beginning her journey to South Korea alone and across the world from her family meant facing battles and hardships that tested her perseverance and self-dependency. Parker experienced a tragic, life-altering medical emergency during her time in South Korea that truly put her strength to the test. From navigating a healthcare system so vastly different than the one she has worked in, learning to speak a different language, and missing the comfort of her family, Parker quickly learned what resilience looked like. Despite this unforeseen event, Parker focuses on the silver lining behind the tragedy. She took her health into her own hands, identified gaps in the healthcare system, and took the initiative to address them. She helped implement protocols to monitor patients more closely after major surgeries or medical events and to ensure appropriate follow-up care, such as physical therapy.
During her time in South Korea, Parker continued to work in a family medicine clinic. In addition, she took on the role of a sexual assault medical forensic examiner for civilians in the area. After a year of work in Osan, South Korea, Parker moved to San Antonio, where she worked in primary care for two additional years before moving to Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2020 to begin work in aerospace medicine. Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Parker’s time in Colorado was cut short by a move back to Texas a year later to be closer to family. Here, she began contract work as a family medicine PA for the Army at Fort Hood. While there, she met her husband, whom she married in 2022. As a happily married couple, they moved to Oklahoma City in 2022, where Parker worked in neurology for three years, specializing in treating movement disorders.
During her three years working in neurology, she discovered a passion for PA education and teaching new PA students about patient safety. She applied for and accepted a job at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas as an assistant professor. She and her husband now reside in rural Abilene, where she shares her learned experiences and passionately teaches on movement disorders and various neurology topics at HSU’s PA Program.
Still having a devotion for clinical work, Parker works at the Medical Care Missions Clinic in Abilene, where she provides healthcare to uninsured patients. Parker is currently in virtual schooling for her Doctor of Public Health degree at Loma Linda University in California. Her motivation for the degree is to learn more about policymaking as she has a unique point of view, being someone who has experienced the hardships of healthcare as both a patient herself and a provider.
Having experienced healthcare systems across many different states and even countries, Parker has a valuable outlook on today’s healthcare system and PA education. In a world of generative artificial intelligence and with answers available at the click of a button, Parker prides herself on passing along to the next generation of providers the ability to adapt to a changing world and think critically about each step of medicine.
Acknowledgments: This biography was prepared by Kaylee Billstone with the assistance of Holly Parker. It was submitted to the society in April 2026. Photographs are provided courtesy of Holly Parker.
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