Abigail Korb

About Abigail Korb

The most common question Abigail Korb, PA-C, gets is, “What is the difference between a physician assistant and nurse practitioner?” While the clinical definition of what she does includes examining patients, diagnosing illnesses, prescribing medications and much more, the heart of what she does is more personal. “I truly care about my patients and their well-being and I will work tirelessly to help them achieve a good outcome,” she says.

Abigail’s decision to pursue a career in medicine came from being part of a family of medical professionals. Her father is an oral maxillofacial surgeon, her mother a pediatric nurse, and many aunts and both grandmothers worked as nurses. She became interested in the cardiac field after witnessing her father’s improved quality of life following open heart surgery when he was in his 40s. “I saw how his quality of life improved so dramatically post-surgery and I wanted to provide that opportunity to others through the work I do,” she says.

This experience shaped how Abigail practices medicine: treating her patients with the utmost care and sincerity, as if they were her own family members. Her education at King’s College in Scranton, PA, furthered this lesson. She learned to not see patients as a set of symptoms or a medical condition, but to tend to the whole person, including their emotional needs. From her patients, she has learned that a diagnosis does not lessen the worth of the individual and that courage and strength can be found among adversity.

In her own words…

Who is or was the most influential person/role model in your life?  My paternal grandfather is one of the most influential people in my life. He immigrated to the United States from Germany as a child after World War II and his life has shown me the results of having a strong work ethic.  

What was your first job growing up? What do you remember about it?  My first job growing up was working as a scrub technician at my father’s oral surgery practice. It was my first introduction to working in medicine and I really enjoyed it.

What is your favorite food? Movie? What was your best/worst subjects in school growing up?  My favorite food is ramen.  My favorite movie is, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.  My best subjects in school were anatomy and physiology, and literature.  My worst subject was always mathematics.  

If you could sit down to dinner with anyone (alive or deceased) who would it be and why?  I would love the opportunity to have dinner with J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Since middle school I have been fascinated by his life and the stories of Middle-Earth and would love to discuss them with him.  

In addition to medicine, what are you passionate about? What are your hobbies, interests?  I am passionate about by friends and family.  I enjoy cooking and baking in my spare time and babysitting my 2-year-old niece.

What is something most people don’t know about you?  I am one of eight children and have an identical twin sister.