Originally from Iran, Dr. Arash Mollaeian comes from a family of caregivers. Both his father who was a pediatric surgeon and his mother who worked as a pediatric physical therapist encouraged him to study medicine.

Dr. Mollaeian began his medical career as an internist and later entered a fellowship to become a rheumatologist. “I like rheumatology because it’s a very comprehensive field,” he explains. “You need expertise in anatomy as well as a knowledge of immunology to diagnose and treat patients. Sometimes patients come to us with a disease that’s complicated and hard to diagnose. However, using the knowledge gained from taking their medical history plus a comprehensive physical exam you can piece everything together and figure it out.”

According to Dr. Mollaeian, there are many innovative medications benefiting rheumatology patients now. “Biologic medications developed recently have been very successful in treating diseases that didn’t have good solutions before,” he explains. “It’s been great for patients, and I expect the therapeutic innovations in medications to continue to expand and improve people’s quality of life.”

One of Dr. Mollaeian’s favorite technologies to use is ultrasound. “We utilize ultrasound to help us make diagnoses and also use it in procedures. You can do injections, aspirations and many other medical interventions more effectively with ultrasound. When it comes to making a diagnosis, an ultrasound can be a key way to help determine what is the main problem with the joint. It’s a great technology to have available.”

When he is not busy treating patients at Reliant, Dr. Mollaeian enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids. They often go hiking together and also enjoy cooking (such as making pizza and Persian barbecue). Dr. Mollaeian also enjoys doing Persian calligraphy.