Dr. Jennifer Mallinger, an optometrist who owns and operates Mallinger Family Eye Care in The Trails village, had her “eye” on Summerlin as the perfect place to launch her practice and her career. In 1997 after graduating from Optometry school in Southern California, she settled into life and practice in the master-planned community that was then in its infancy.
Fast forward to today, and it was a decision for Dr. Mallinger that has proven to be a good one – both personally and professionally. Named a Best of Summerlin winner in 2016 and 2019 as Best Doctor, Dr. Mallinger has grown her practice alongside the community. In 2011, she married local homebuilder Tom McCormick at TPC Summerlin, and the couple, in a beautiful blend of “yours and mine,” boasts a brood of seven children, ages 14 to 22.
All seven children attended St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in The Pueblo village, and all seven have either graduated or currently attend Bishop Gorman, including two who are still students there. Of the five Bishop Gorman graduates, their current whereabouts include the University of Washington in Seattle, UNLV, University of Colorado at Boulder and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. With several kids in college and two at a private high school, Dr. Mallinger jokes that the she and her husband are obviously not retiring any time soon!
Fortunately, both Dr. Mallinger and her husband have been diligently working throughout the pandemic as “essential” workers. While Dr. Mallinger was forced to close her doors to seeing patients in person, with the exception of emergencies, she readily embraced telemedicine via a telehealth platform which both she and her patients have appreciated. In fact, Dr. Mallinger believes that post-pandemic, the trend is here to stay.
In Summerlin, the family enjoys Las Vegas Aviators season tickets at Las Vegas Ballpark, and when they can’t get to a Vegas Golden Knights game at T-Mobile, Arena, they watch it at City National Arena on the big screen inside MacKenzie River Pizza.
Dr. Mallinger’s go-to spot at Downtown Summerlin is Grape Street, while McCormick’s first choice is Frankie’s Uptown for a pre-baseball game beer. The kids grew up playing baseball at The Trails near Dr. Mallinger’s office, and the family has fond memories of attending Friday Night Lights concerts there, as well.
“As a family, we have spent a lot of time over the years at Dave & Buster’s, and we love catching movies at Regal Cinemas. In fact, it’s a Christmas tradition for our family to watch a holiday movie there where we take up almost a whole row! Downtown Summerlin has something for all nine of us that comprise the Mallinger-McCormick clan! And that speaks volumes!”
Thanks, Dr. Mallinger, for keeping our eyes healthy and happy in Summerlin!
