Anna Pollack, PhD, MPH

Anna Pollack’s research focuses on the relationship between environmental chemical exposures and fertility, pregnancy, and gynecologic health. Critical to understanding these endpoints, she investigates biological mechanisms underlying these processes, such as biomarkers of oxidative stress, inflammation, and endocrine disruption. Dr. Pollack’s research is based in the theory of critical windows of exposure, which emphasizes that the timing of chemical exposures can result in permanent changes. Dr. Pollack’s research also addresses disparities in exposure, which stem from environmental and occupational sources. She seeks to apply methods to examine complex mixtures to better understand their impact on women’s reproductive health.

Prior to joining George Mason University in 2013, Dr. Pollack was trained in reproductive and environmental epidemiology, and epidemiologic methods. She received her PhD in epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University, MPH in environmental and occupational health from George Washington University, and BA in biology from Smith College. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Research

Research Interests

• Cardiovascular disease
• Endocrine disruptors
• Endometriosis
• Environmental epidemiology
• Environmental chemicals
• Exposure mixtures
• Occupational epidemiology
• Women’s reproductive and perinatal health

Select Publications

• Barnard ME, Farland LV, Yan B, Wang J, Trabert B, Doherty JA, Meeks HD, Madsen M, Guinto E, Collin LJ, Maurer KA, Page JM, Kiser AC, Varner MW, Allen-Brady K, Pollack AZ, Peterson KR, Peterson CM, Schliep KC. Endometriosis typology and ovarian cancer risk. JAMA. 2024 Jul 17. doi: 10.1001/jama.2024.9210. Online ahead of print. [PMID: 39018030]
• Marroquin JM*, Gorman A, Kioumourtzoglou MA, Pollack AZ. Chemicals in menstrual products: a systematic review. BJOG. 2024 Apr;131(5):655-664. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.17668. Epub 2023 Sep 24. [PMID: 37743685]
• Mandeville J*, Alkhalaf Z*, Joannidis C*, Ryan M, Nelson D*, Quiros-Alcala L, Gribble MO, Pollack AZ. Risk perception and use of personal care products by race and ethnicity among a diverse population. UCL Open Environ. 2024 May 13;6:e3038. doi: 10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3038. eCollection 2024. [PMID: 38757092]
• Pollack AZ, Marroquin JM*. Invited Perspective: Metals and Menarche. Environmental Health Perspectives, 2023 Feb;131(2):21301. doi: 10.1289/EHP12555. Epub 2023 Feb 2. [PMID: 36729393] 
• Hinkle SN, Mumford SL, Grantz KL, Mendola P, Mills JL, Yeung EH, Pollack AZ, Grandi SM, Sundaram R, Qiao Y, Schisterman EF, Zhang C. Gestational Weight Change and Mortality over 50 Years in a Diverse Pregnancy Cohort. Lancet. 2023 Nov 18;402(10415):1857-1865. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01517-9. Epub 2023 Oct 19. [PMID: 37866371]
• Pollack AZ, Krall JR, Swan S, Buck Louis GM. Does older age modify associations between endocrine disrupting chemicals and fecundability? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022. Jun 30;19(13):8074. [PMID: 35805732]
• Boyle MD, Kavi LK, Louis LM, Pool W, Sapkota A, Zhu L, Pollack AZ, Thomas S, Rule AM, Quirós-Alcalá L. Occupational Exposures to Phthalates among Black and Latina U.S. Hairdressers Serving an Ethnically Diverse Clientele: A Pilot Study. Environ Sci Technol. 2021 Jun 15;55(12):8128-8138. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.1c00427. Epub 2021 Jun 2. [PMID: 34078083]
• Pollack AZ, Krall JR, Kannan K, Buck Louis GM. Adipose to serum ratio and mixtures of persistent organic pollutants in relation to endometriosis: Findings from the ENDO Study. Environmental Research 2021 Apr;195:110732. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.110732. [PMID: 33484721] 

* Indicates student author

Degrees

• PhD, Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• MPH, Environmental and Occupational Health, The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services
• BA, Biology, Smith College