Bio
"Born and raised in the South Bronx, NYC, I grew up in a community plagued with crime and poverty. Tragedies in my life sparked a desire to make a difference in my community. I live by the words, You are a fighter and you will make it. It’s important for children in my community to have role models and I hope that I will be able to inspire and influence them just like other doctors inspired me." - Dr. Arabia Mollette
At age of 5, Arabia envisioned herself becoming a doctor but wasn't sure what kind of doctor she'd become until two tragedies occurred in her life. At 17, she became a teen mom to a precious baby boy, whose life was tragically taken away at four months. Six years later, her youngest sister was shot and killed while riding in a friend’s car. Both tragedies caused her to question the doctors about their medical explanations, and it sparked a desire to make a difference in her community. Both times, she was advised by the physicians to become a doctor and put her passion of caring for people to work. Years later she meets ER Physician, Dr. Sampson Davis from the Three Doctors Foundation, and realized their stories were nearly identical — the poverty, the obstacles, the desire for change.
She bought his first book and it felt like her whole life story was pretty much laid out in that book. Dr. Davis' story inspired her, but the idea of becoming a doctor seemed like an unrealistic opportunity. She didn’t have any money for medical school. At least that’s the way it seemed until she met the relative of a family friend, who was studying medicine in Cuba on a scholarship. She applied and was later awarded a full scholarship to study medicine at the Latin American School of Medicine in Havana, Cuba. Nearly a decade later after graduating from Hunter College, completing medical school in Cuba, and learning to speak Spanish fluently, she completed her residency as an Emergency Medicine Resident Physician at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center — the same place Dr. Davis started his career. And now as a newly minted Emergency Physician in Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Mollette now has the opportunity to give back to her community. Because of Arabia's experience and international exposure, she is now ready to offer medical help and advice to people around the world.
Speaking Topics
- Leadership, Professional Development, Wellness
- Health Policy (Injury Prevention, Intimate Partner Violence, Public Health)
- Cultural Insensitvity and Racial Discrimination in Emergency Medicine