Her Story
About Monika
Dr. Monika Korff is a board-certified allergist and immunologist with more than two decades of clinical experience dedicated to helping patients better understand and manage allergic and immune-related conditions. Her path to medicine began in childhood after experiencing a serious illness that required multiple hospitalizations. During that time, she was cared for by a compassionate female physician whose kindness, expertise, and professionalism left a lasting impression and inspired Dr. Korff to pursue a career in healthcare. Drawn equally to science, technology, and the complexities of human biology, she earned a degree in medical technology and spent several years working in laboratory medicine before entering medical school.
Initially considering careers in pediatrics or other procedure-based specialties, Dr. Korff discovered her true calling during her medical training when she rotated through immunology. The field brought together her clinical interests and laboratory background while offering an opportunity to explore the intricate and fascinating puzzle of the immune system. Captivated by the delicate balance of immune function and the profound impact that disruptions can have on human health, she pursued specialized training in allergy and immunology. Throughout her journey, she benefited from the guidance of influential mentors, including Dr. Mona Wilson, Dr. Cheryl Leonardi, and Dr. York Jordan, whose encouragement and support helped shape her professional development.
Today, Dr. Korff serves patients of all ages with a commitment to evidence-based, patient-centered care. Over the course of her 22-year career, she has developed expertise in diagnosing and treating asthma, allergies, and immune disorders while contributing to protocol development, clinical research, and practice leadership. Guided by the principles of integrity, honesty, transparency, and the medical ethic of "first, do no harm," she remains passionate about improving quality of life for her patients. As advances in immunology continue to transform healthcare, Dr. Korff is energized by the opportunity to bring innovative, individualized treatments to those she serves while continuing a lifelong commitment to learning and professional growth.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Monika
01What do you attribute your success to?
Aside from hard work, I would probably say my work ethic was instilled in me through my family, my parents, especially my father. The one thing that he drilled in me is he always said, if a man can do it, you can do it better. That has been the mantra that I've kind of lived with. But aside from hard work, I would probably say just loving what I do, and wanting to feel fulfillment at the end of the day. I can honestly say that every night when I go to bed, I go to bed with clear conscience, knowing I did the best that I could by everyone that I met that day.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Probably by one of my female mentors, and that was, keep reading. Keep getting better on a personal and professional level every day. Try to learn something every day, and be open to new opportunities, and that's how you will advance.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
To really find passion in what you do, because if you are passionate about your work, everything else falls into place. And also, do not take no for an answer.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I'll probably say, in terms of challenges, the challenges we're facing are just general challenges the whole medical community is facing as a whole. And that is inequity in distribution of resources in healthcare, access to care, lack of coverage for certain procedures or medical treatments. I would say the most exciting aspect of our job is the absolute explosion of knowledge and the ability to produce, based on that expansion of knowledge, to develop new products and add to the treatment of conditions and diseases for which we really haven't had much advancement in recent years. It feels very exciting. We're also seeing the move more towards targeted medicine, so more precise medications that will provide patients with less side effects, less other systemic issues and directly treating targets, really specifically targeting certain pathways. I think the move also more towards individual medicine, so trying to get a sense of predictors of who is going to respond to what and how to select the right treatment for the right patient based on those either genetic or other immunogenic makeup. Identifying those markers and trying to be able to identify the right patient for the right medication. I think we're just kind of getting started with that, and I think it's a very, very exciting move that will improve outcomes along the way.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Most foremost, I would probably say is integrity, honesty, transparency. And first, do no harm, as far as patient care is related.
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