Karli Koval, PA-C, is a board-certified physician assistant who has been passionate about integrative medicine since she stumbled upon it as a patient dealing with hormonal dysfunction in her teen years. Karli’s passion for the medical field comes from her desire to develop a meaningful relationship with each and every patient where the individual’s unique story is heard and engaged and a true patient-provider therapeutic partnership is formed.  

Karli thinks holistically about the human body to diagnose the root causes of dysfunction, first utilizing nutraceuticals and lifestyle medicine with pharmaceuticals being used only when medically necessary. Her primary area of focus is female hormonal dysfunction, but her desire to treat each patient holistically has led her to devote clinical time to a multitude of medical challenges, including gastrointestinal dysfunction, autoimmunity, mental health, chronic stress, and inflammation. Karli loves working with patients to prevent and manage all types of chronic diseases. She also enjoys doing aesthetic procedures such as microneedling, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), microdermabrasion, and chemical peels. 

Background

Karli received her bachelor’s degree in Human Biology from Stanford University and earned her master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where she graduated with High Distinction and was awarded entry into the prestigious Pi Alpha Honor Society.  

Karli decided to pursue a career in healthcare not only because she loves understanding the intricacies of the human body, but first and foremost, because she loves people. Establishing a therapeutic partnership with her patients where she gets to meaningfully engage their unique story and partner with them to restore them to optimal health and wellness is what drives her. So, when she first discovered the field of integrative medicine in her teen years as a patient struggling with her own hormonal dysfunction, she knew this was how she wanted to practice medicine one day.  

She later had the opportunity to receive integrative medical training from Dr. Marcela Dominguez at Complete Care Family Medicine in Mission Viejo, CA, while in PA school and completed further training through the Institute of Functional Medicine post-graduation. Each of these experiences stoked Karli’s passion for treating the whole person and intervening at the level of the root causes of dysfunction rather than reactionary medicine that plays “whack-a-mole” with symptoms, seldom asking why those symptoms occur.  

Karli started out her career in psychiatry, but always desired to end up in women’s health as it struck a chord with her own personal struggle with hormonal dysfunction. She was thrilled when the opportunity presented itself to work with Dr. Gersh at the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine.  

Karli is an Orange County native who grew up in Rancho Santa Margarita. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, JJ, is very active in her church community, loves to try new recipes, and enjoys all things outdoors, especially beach volleyball and hiking.