Postdoctoral Fellow

Physiology Overview
Meet a Colleague
Career Resources
Mentoring
Scientific Meetings &
   Societies
Awards Available
Minority Resources
Positions Available
Related Links

David Pollock was born in Indianapolis, IN on September 29, 1955 and spent his formative years in the mid-sized town of Evansville, IN.  He enjoyed many subjects in school, including biology and chemistry, but he also loved music, drama, and sports.  His aptitude in math and science combined with the efforts of a few inspired teachers made him want to learn more.  The “quest for knowledge,” as his high school chemistry teacher would say, is a noble pursuit.  Also, David’s work as an athletic trainer in high school not only allowed him to participate in sports indirectly but also fueled his interest in understanding how our bodies work.

David stayed in his hometown and went to college at the University of Evansville.  He received a scholarship to continue as an athletic trainer for the college football, basketball, and baseball teams.  His first two years in college as a biology major were rather uneventful, as he took the usual array of introductory classes.  However, it was in his junior year when he took an advanced human physiology class that he experienced a “revelation.”  With the help of a truly inspired teacher, Dr. Eugene Schroeder, David discovered that physiology was the subject that really got him excited.  This experience made him want to learn more.  He knew that in order to understand more about how the body works, he would have to continue his studies in graduate school.  However, he first had to take time to get married to another biology major, Jennifer Pollock.

David enrolled in the Ph.D. program at the University of Cincinnati and graduated with a degree in physiology in 1983.  He then went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and worked as a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Physiology.  Although when he started graduate school he thought he would end up teaching college, Dr. Pollock decided that a career as an independent researcher was what he truly wanted.

Back to School
Just when it seemed that he had found his niche, Dr. Pollock got to the point where his original desire to work as a physiologist at a university and teach as well as do research began to grow again.  In 1995, he accepted a faculty position in the Vascular Biology Center at the Medical College of Georgia. In some ways, it was like starting his career over, but the excitement of a challenging new position was wonderful.  He has been able to pursue some research questions that he could not pursue at a drug company.  More importantly, however, he is able to work with students and other trainees and pass his excitement on to them.  What makes it especially enjoyable is that he gets to work closely with his wife, now Dr. Jennifer Pollock, on many research and educational activities.

Advice for postdoctoral fellows
Work hard.  You are at a critical juncture in the development of your career and remember this is still a training experience, not a permanent job.  You are in control of your future by being involved in the scientific community, by getting involved with scientific societies, attending scientific conferences and present papers, and, most importantly, publishing your work.  No matter where you go after your post-doc, your productivity and name recognition is what will open doors for you.