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Kathryn IIonka Pollak
Professor in Population Health Sciences
Population Health Sciences
kathryn.pollak@duke.edu
Box 2715, Durham, NC 27710
2424 Erwin Road Suite 602, Durham, NC 27710
Research
More About This Person
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At a Glance
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Credentials
Education
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Academic Experience
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Previous Appointments & Affiliations
Leadership & Clinical Positions
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Expertise
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Research
Selected Grants
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Publications
Selected Publications
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Artistic Works / Events
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Teaching
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Teaching Overview
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Advising & Mentoring
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Recognition
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Professional Activities
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Selected Grants
2/3 CTSA K12 Program at Duke University
Research
Mentor ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2025 - 2030
ASCENT: Advancing the Science of palliative Care rEsearch across the lifespaN
Research
Co Investigator ·
Awarded by University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus ·
2025 - 2030
Building Relationship, Improving Dialogue, and Growing Empathy (BRIDGE): An intervention to support decision-making for critically ill children
Research
Co Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2025 - 2030
Nurse LEADS: Training in Nurse-LEd models of care ADdressing the Social Determinants of Health
Inst. Training Prgm or CME
Mentor ·
Awarded by National Institute of Nursing Research ·
2024 - 2029
Feasibility of cue-based treatment intervention to promote cessation among people who smoke lightly (<=10 cigarettes per day) or non-daily
Research
Co Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2025 - 2028
Multimedia caregiver education program to improve outcomes for children with cancer in low-resource settings
Research
Co Investigator ·
Awarded by National Cancer Institute ·
2023 - 2028
Duke KURe Program
Inst. Training Prgm or CME
Mentor ·
Awarded by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases ·
2013 - 2028
Improving patient-provider communication and medication adherence in systemic lupus erythematosus
Research
Co Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities ·
2023 - 2028
Co-Developing a Nurse-Led, Community-Engaged Intervention to Improve Labor Pain Management and Build Trust in Obstetric Care
Research
Significant Contributor ·
Awarded by The Rita & Alex Hillman Foundation ·
2026 - 2027
Planning grant for clinical trial of REACH-Hypertension curriculum for clinicians
Research
Co Investigator ·
Awarded by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute ·
2024 - 2027
Improving outcomes of patients with advanced prostate cancer through a better understanding of provider decision-making
Research
Co-Mentor ·
Awarded by National Cancer Institute ·
2022 - 2027
CounterforceAI: AI-Powered Health Insurance Appeals Generator
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by University of Pennsylvania ·
2025 - 2027
Testing a Clinician and Patient Intervention to Promote smoking Cessation Among Pregnant Women
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by National Cancer Institute ·
2021 - 2027
Diversifying and Strengthening Dementia Palliative Care Clinical Trials
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by Massachusetts General Hospital ·
2022 - 2027
Duke Center for Advancement of Child Health (CAtCH).
Inst. Training Prgm or CME
Mentor ·
Awarded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development ·
2021 - 2027
Equity-Focused Communication Intervention for Family-Centered Rounds
Research
Mentor ·
Awarded by National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities ·
2024 - 2027
Duke ACS Institutional Research Grant
Research
Significant Contributor ·
Awarded by American Cancer Society, Inc. ·
2024 - 2026
Improving decision-making for older adults with melanoma
Research
Collaborator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2024 - 2026
The Role of Implicit Bias on Outcomes of Patients with Advanced Solid Cancers
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai ·
2021 - 2026
A Text-Based Scheduled Reduction Intervention for Smokeless Tobacco Cessation
Research
Co Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2019 - 2025
Decision Making for Infants with Neurologic Conditions
Research
Co-Mentor ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2020 - 2025
Duke CTSA (TL1) Year 5
Inst. Training Prgm or CME
Mentor ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2018 - 2024
Improving Advance Care Planning in Oncology: A Pragmatic, Cluster-Randomized Trial Integrating Patient Videos and Clinician Communication Training
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute ·
2018 - 2024
Evaluating effectiveness of a communication facilitator to reduce distress and improve goal concordant care for critically ill patients and their families: A randomized trial
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by University of Washington ·
2018 - 2023
Racial Disparities in Emotion-Handling in the ICU
Research
Mentor ·
Awarded by American Thoracic Society ·
2022 - 2023
Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group (PCRC) Refinement and Expansion
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by University of Colorado - Denver ·
2018 - 2023
Optimizing a standalone text messaging-based weight loss intervention
Research
Co Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2017 - 2023
The Mathematics of Breast Cancer Overtreatment: Improving Treatment Choice through Effective Communication of Personalized Cancer Risk
Research
Co Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2018 - 2022
Decreasing the Financial Burden for Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer By Understanding Provider Decision-Making
Research
Mentor ·
Awarded by American Urological Association Foundation ·
2021 - 2022
Examining Best Practices for Factoring Out-Of-Pocket Expenses into Patients' Health Care Decisions
Research
Co Investigator ·
Awarded by Patrick & Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation ·
2018 - 2021
Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group (PCRC): Refinement and Expansion-Administrative Supplement
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus ·
2019 - 2020
Decision Making for Critically Ill Infants
Research
Mentor ·
Awarded by Kennedy Krieger Institute ·
2018 - 2020
Teaching palliative care clinicians Motivational Interviewing
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by University of Colorado - Denver ·
2017 - 2020
University of Colorado Cancer Center Cancer Prevention and Control Supplemental Pilot Funds
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by University of Colorado - Denver ·
2018 - 2019
SMS scheduled gradual reduction text messages to help pregnant smokers quit
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2013 - 2019
Cancer Treatment Disparities in the HIV Population: Exploring the Impact of HIV on Physician and Patient Decision-Making
Research
Collaborator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2018 - 2019
HIV cure studies: risk, risk perception, and ethics
Research
Co-Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by Harvard University ·
2016 - 2019
PAPNavigator STTR (Fast-Track)
Research
Co Investigator ·
Awarded by Vivor, LLC ·
2016 - 2019
Addressing Tobacco Use Disparities through an Innovative Mobile Phone Intervention: The textto4gosmokelesstobacco
Research
Co Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2015 - 2018
Improving Communication Between Cancer Patients and Oncologists Using Patient Feedback on Actual Conversations and the ABIM Maintenance of Certification
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute ·
2016 - 2018
Translation of a Lung Cancer Palliative Care Intervention for Clinical Practice
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by City of Hope ·
2014 - 2018
Impact of a PCRC-Supported Legacy Intervention in Pediatric Palliative Care
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by Vanderbilt University ·
2014 - 2018
A Woman's Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) program at Duke University School of Nursing
Inst. Training Prgm or CME
Participating Faculty Member ·
Awarded by Health Resources and Service Administration ·
2014 - 2018
Refinement and Expansion of the Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group
Research
Site PI ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2013 - 2018
TRIADIC EXPECTATIONS: DECISION-MAKING IN ADVANCED CANCER
Research
Significant Contributor ·
Awarded by National Palliative Care Research Center ·
2014 - 2017
Improving Communication Between Cancer Patients and Oncologists Using Patient Feedback on Actual Conversations and the ABIM Maintenance of Certification
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute ·
2015 - 2016
Teen CHAT:Improving physician communication with adolescents about healthy weight
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2009 - 2016
Communication in Oncologist Patient Encounters: A Patient Intervention
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2009 - 2016
Tailored Internet Program to Improve OB Providers' Smoking Cessation Counseling
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by People Designs ·
2013 - 2014
En Pareja: A Latino couples intervention to help expectant fathers quit smoking
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2008 - 2014
Smoking Resumption-Prevention in Postpartum Women
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2008 - 2014
Obesity as a Barrier to Patient-Physician Communication
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2006 - 2010
Hypertension Improvement Project (HIP)
Research
Co Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2004 - 2010
Race effects in oncologists' end-of-life communication
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2006 - 2009
Enhancing patient-oncologist communication
Research
Co Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2003 - 2009
Testing Pharmacological Therapies for Pregnant Smokers
Research
Principal Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2002 - 2008
Partner Assisted Interventions For Pregnant Smokers
Research
Co Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
1997 - 2003
Recruiting Teen Smokers Into A Self-Help Quit Program
Research
Co Investigator ·
Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
1999 - 2002
