Overview
Dr. Pollak is a social psychologist who designs and tests behavioral interventions to promote smoking cessation, reduce health disparities, and improve clinician-patient communication. She also is one of the Multiple Principal Investigators of the Palliative Care Research Cooperative that supports multi-site palliative care trials. Finally, Dr. Pollak serves as a Communication Coach where she teaches clinicians effective communication techniques.
Area of expertise: Health Behavior
Area of expertise: Health Behavior
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Professor in Population Health Sciences
·
2017 - Present
Population Health Sciences,
Basic Science Departments
Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
·
2017 - Present
Family Medicine and Community Health,
Clinical Science Departments
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute
·
1998 - Present
Duke Cancer Institute,
Institutes and Centers
Recent Publications
Developing and Testing a Program to Strengthen the Dementia Palliative Care Trial Workforce.
Journal Article J Pain Symptom Manage · April 2026 OBJECTIVE: To describe the development and early outcomes of the National Institute on Aging (NIA)-funded Dementia Palliative Care Clinical Trials Training Program (DEM-PCCT). BACKGROUND: Nonpharmacological palliative care interventions can improve the liv ... Full text Link to item CiteMixed Methods Analysis of Inclusive Pedagogy in a Population Health Sciences Graduate Curriculum
Journal Article Pedagogy in Health Promotion · March 1, 2026 Underrepresentation and attrition of graduate students from diverse backgrounds reduce workforce diversity. Inclusive pedagogy practices promote learning environments where students from diverse backgrounds can thrive. We adopt categories from the National ... Full text CiteExploring newly referred patients' and their caregivers' display of needs: A microanalysis in specialized outpatient care.
Journal Article Patient Educ Couns · February 23, 2026 OBJECTIVE: Awareness and responsiveness to patients' needs are essential for practicing person-centered care in specialized outpatient clinics. This study explored how newly referred patients with severe rheumatic autoimmune disease, and their caregivers d ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
2/3 CTSA K12 Program at Duke University
ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2030ASCENT: Advancing the Science of palliative Care rEsearch across the lifespaN
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus · 2025 - 2030Building Relationship, Improving Dialogue, and Growing Empathy (BRIDGE): An intervention to support decision-making for critically ill children
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2030View All Grants
Education
University of Houston ·
1996
Ph.D.