Ilana earned her BA in Biology from Wellesley College and an MSc. from the Rockefeller University, where she conducted immuno-oncology research published in Cell. She has held research roles at Emory, Mount Sinai and the Hope Clinic, contributing to studies in depression, diabetes and HIV. Passionate about mentorship, she has guided students applying to medical school and coordinated peer support for medical trainees. She also volunteers at the Clarkston Community Health Center, providing care to underserved populations.
Get to Know Ilana
- Hometown: Setauket, NY
- Professional Interests: Women’s mental health and psychosis
- Future Plans: Academics
- Hobbies: Spending time at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens and Zoo Atlanta with her daughter and husband, podcasts, pilates and perfumery
Education
- MD, Emory University School of Medicine, 2025
- MSc, The Rockefeller University
- BA, Wellesley College, 2013
Publications
- Kelley C, Pollack I, Yacoub R, Zhu Z, Van Doren V, Gumber S, Amara R, Fedirko V, Kraft C, de Man T, Hu Y, Ackerley C, Sullivan P, Bostick R. Condomless receptive anal intercourse is associated with markers of mucosal inflammation in a cohort of men who have sex with men in Atlanta, Georgia. J Int AIDS Soc 24(2021).
- Pollack I, Wolner Z, Hammett J, Swerlick R. Pyoderma gangrenosum in a patient on ixekizumab. JAAD Case Reports 16:152-154 (2021).
- Tavazoie M, Pollack I, Tanqueco R, Ribas A, Mucida D, Tavazoie S. LXR/ApoE activation restricts innate immune suppression in cancer. Cell 172:1-16 (2018).
- Guthalu Kondegowda N, Fenutria R, Pollack I, Orthofer M, Garcia-Ocana A, Penninger J, Vasavada R. Osteoprotegerin and denosumab stimulate human beta cell proliferation through inhibition of the receptor activator of NF-kB ligand (RANKL) pathway. Cell Metabolism 22:77-85 (2015).
- Mozar A, Guthalu Kondegowda N, Pollack I, Fenutria R, Vasavada R. The role of PTHrP inpancreatic beta-cells and implications for diabetes pathophysiology and treatment. Clinic Rev Bone Miner Metab 12:165-177 (2014).