Thomas D. Pollard
Encyclopedia
Thomas Dean Pollard is a prominent educator, cell biologist and biophysicist whose research focuses on understanding cell motility through the study of actin filaments and myosin
motors. He is currently the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Sterling Professor
of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology and a Professor of Cell Biology and Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry at Yale University
.
, receiving a B.A. degree in 1964. He then attended Harvard Medical School
, graduating cum laude in 1968. He then interned at Massachusetts General Hospital
and began his career as a physician.
in La Jolla, CA, where he also maintained a highly productive research unit in the Structural Biology Laboratory. Additionally, Pollard served as an Adjunct Professor of Biology, of Bioengineering, and of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego
. In 2001, Pollard began moving his laboratory to Yale, where he is currently the Sterling Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology and Professor of Cell Biology and Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry. In 2010, President Richard Levin named Pollard Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Yale. Pollard has been very active in promoting scientific education and research primarily through two major societies, both of which he served as a past President: the American Society for Cell Biology and the Biophysical Society
.
Pollard is a Fellow of the:
Pollard is a recipient of the:
Along with co-authors William C. Earnshaw, PhD, FRSE; Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz, PhD; and illustrator Graham Johnson, Pollard is the primary author of the textbook Cell Biology now in its second edition published by Saunders (2007). Numerous publications, teaching and public service awards, scientists mentored, and editorial boards served-on exemplify Pollard's tremendous contributions to the fields of education and cell biology.
. Daniel Avery Pollard is a postdoctoral associate in the Rockman Lab. at New York University
.
Myosin
Myosins comprise a family of ATP-dependent motor proteins and are best known for their role in muscle contraction and their involvement in a wide range of other eukaryotic motility processes. They are responsible for actin-based motility. The term was originally used to describe a group of similar...
motors. He is currently the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Sterling Professor
Sterling Professor
A Sterling Professorship is the highest academic rank at Yale University, awarded to a tenured faculty member considered one of the best in his or her field...
of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology and a Professor of Cell Biology and Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
.
Education
He was educated at Pomona CollegePomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
, receiving a B.A. degree in 1964. He then attended Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
, graduating cum laude in 1968. He then interned at Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
and began his career as a physician.
Career
Following his internship, Pollard became a Staff Associate at the National Heart and Lung Institute. Soon after, he returned to Harvard, becoming an Assistant Professor of Anatomy in 1972, and advancing to Associate Professor in 1975. In 1977, Pollard was named Professor and Chairman of the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where his laboratory discovered and characterized several important cellular proteins. In 1996, he left Hopkins to become the President of the Salk Institute for Biological StudiesSalk Institute for Biological Studies
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is a premier independent, non-profit, scientific research institute located in La Jolla, California. It was founded in 1960 by Jonas Salk, the developer of the polio vaccine; among the founding consultants were Jacob Bronowski and Francis Crick. Building...
in La Jolla, CA, where he also maintained a highly productive research unit in the Structural Biology Laboratory. Additionally, Pollard served as an Adjunct Professor of Biology, of Bioengineering, and of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
. In 2001, Pollard began moving his laboratory to Yale, where he is currently the Sterling Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology and Professor of Cell Biology and Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry. In 2010, President Richard Levin named Pollard Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Yale. Pollard has been very active in promoting scientific education and research primarily through two major societies, both of which he served as a past President: the American Society for Cell Biology and the Biophysical Society
Biophysical Society
The Biophysical Society is an organization consisting of over 9,000 researchers in academia, government, and industry. Based in the USA, its international membership has grown to about 1/3 of the total. Founded in 1957 by Ernest C...
.
Pollard is a Fellow of the:
- American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and SciencesThe American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
(1990) - National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
of the United States (1992) - American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of ScienceThe American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
(1993) - American Academy of Microbiology (1997)
- Biophysical SocietyBiophysical SocietyThe Biophysical Society is an organization consisting of over 9,000 researchers in academia, government, and industry. Based in the USA, its international membership has grown to about 1/3 of the total. Founded in 1957 by Ernest C...
(1999) and a member of the - Institute of MedicineInstitute of MedicineThe Institute of Medicine is a not-for-profit, non-governmental American organization founded in 1970, under the congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences...
(1999).
Pollard is a recipient of the:
- Rosenstiel AwardRosenstiel AwardIn 1971, the Lewis S. Rosenstiel Award for Distinguished Work in Basic Medical Research was established as an expression of the conviction that educational institutions have an important role to play in the encouragement and development of basic science as it applies to medicine.Medals are...
, Brandeis University (jointly with James Spudich in 1996) - Public Service Award, Biophysical Society (1997)
- E.B. Wilson Medal, American Society for Cell Biology (2004) and the prestigious
- Gairdner International Award in Biomedical SciencesGairdner FoundationThe Gairdner Foundation was created in 1957 by James Arthur Gairdner to recognize and reward the achievements of medical researchers whose work contributes significantly to improving the quality of human life. Since the first awards were made in 1959, the Gairdner Awards have become Canada's...
(2006).
Along with co-authors William C. Earnshaw, PhD, FRSE; Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz, PhD; and illustrator Graham Johnson, Pollard is the primary author of the textbook Cell Biology now in its second edition published by Saunders (2007). Numerous publications, teaching and public service awards, scientists mentored, and editorial boards served-on exemplify Pollard's tremendous contributions to the fields of education and cell biology.
Family
Thomas Pollard is married to Patricia Snowden and they have two children. Katherine Snowden Pollard is an Associate Investigator at the Gladstone Institutes, Associate Professor in the Division of Biostatistics, and a Sloan Research Fellow at the University of California, San FranciscoUniversity of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
. Daniel Avery Pollard is a postdoctoral associate in the Rockman Lab. at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
.