Afton Koball, PhD, LP

Gunderson Health System

Dr. Koball is a Plainview, MN native who has been with Gundersen Health System (GHS) since 2015. She is a board certified Clinical Health Psychologist and currently serves as the Medical Director of Adult Outpatient Services in the Department of Behavioral Medicine. Dr. Koball received her Bachelor of Applied Sciences degree from University of Minnesota-Duluth and PhD from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH. Dr. Koball completed an APA-approved predoctoral internship from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL and a two year Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Dr. Koball’s clinical expertise is primarily in the area of obesity and weight management. She serves as the lead psychologist for the GHS Comprehensive Weight Management Program and the Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence. She also is a member of the GHS Eating Disorder Team, and works collaboratively with many medical subspecialty departments in the care and treatment of patients with medical and psychiatric co-morbidities. One of Dr. Koball’s primary research interests focuses on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in medical settings. In particular, she is interested in the impact of ACEs on healthcare utilization and the ameliorating effects of provider-patient discussions about ACEs on health, well-being, and utilization.