A dog bite to the face at age 8, and the surgeon who treated
the injury, set Allison Mullins, MD, on the path to becoming a physician. Dr.
Mullins is now chief of obstetric anesthesiology at UTMB John Sealy School of
Medicine, where she completed her residency before she pursued a fellowship in
obstetric anesthesiology.
“I just truly enjoyed taking care of pregnant patients and
being an important part of them having a good and safe experience for a very
often stressful and challenging time,” she said.
Keeping them in mind during her Texas Medical Association
Leadership College experience, Dr. Mullins researched and authored an op-ed for
her capstone project. Published in the Galveston County Daily News in
April, the piece called for the state’s Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review
Committee – currently under review by the Texas
Sunset Advisory Commission – to continue.
“I really just wanted to get some information out there from
a physician, saying … that it’s an important topic, that these committees
exist, because a lot of people don't even know that these committees exist,”
she said.
Having advocated for the committee’s work in print, Dr.
Mullins is looking to build on that momentum. She recently joined the Texas
Society of Anesthesiologists’ Patient Safety and Medical Quality Sub-Committee
on Obstetric Anesthesiology, with an eye toward similar
work with TMA. She’s also just been appointed to the association’s Council on
Member Experience.
“It’s a pretty steep learning curve understanding how
legislation happens, but I feel like I got a good background [through
Leadership College], so that I have a framework of understanding,” she said.
For more information on the Leadership College including the
application and selection process, visit its webpage.
Last Updated On
September 28, 2026
Originally Published On
September 28, 2026
Phil West
Associate Editor
(512) 370-1394
phil.west[at]texmed[dot]org
Phil West is a writer and editor whose publications include the Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, Austin American-Statesman, and San Antonio Express-News. He earned a BA in journalism from the University of Washington and an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin’s James A. Michener Center for Writers. He lives in Austin with his wife, children, and a trio of free-spirited dogs.