Dr. Norman Pollock

Postdoctoral
University of Georgia, GA 2008
Bone and Body Composition

PhD
University of Georgia, GA 2008
Nutrition

MS
University of Georgia, GA 2004
Foods and Nutrition

BS
University of Georgia, GA 2002
Dietetics

BS
University of Georgia, GA 1998
Exercise Science

Primary Appointment

11/2015 – present       Associate Professor, Department of Population Health Sciences*
2/2009 – 11/2015        Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics*

Secondary Appointments

11/2015 – present       Associate Professor, Department of Physiology
11/2015 – present       Associate Professor, Graduate Studies         
2/2013 – 11/2015        Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology
3/2013 – 11/2015        Assistant Professor, Graduate Studies    

*Effective July 1, 2017: The Georgia Prevention Institute’s academic affiliation changed from Dept. of Pediatrics to Dept. of Population Health Sciences, a new department at Augusta University’s Medical College of Georgia.

The major focus in Dr. Pollock's laboratory is to determine the roles of vitamin K-dependent proteins, osteocalcin and matrix Gla protein, on glucose and lipid metabolism for which may have implications for diabetes and cardiovascular disease prevention. Dr. Pollock has been funded by the National Institutes of Health to determine the influence of the hormone osteocalcin, a bone-derived protein, on energy metabolism, and he is currently funded by the American Heart Association to study the effects of vitamin K supplementation on glucose and lipid metabolism in 8 to 17-year-old overweight children with prediabetes (Vita-K 'n Kids Study II; ClinicalTrials.gov # NCT02959762). Additional vitamin K research projects by Dr. Pollock are the following: (1) Vita-K 'n' Kids Study I - clinical trial to determine the effects of vitamin K supplementation on glucose metabolism in 8-17 year old children; (2) Vita-K 'n' Adults Study - clinical trial to determine the effects of vitamin K supplementation on cardiovascular disease risk in adults aged 18-65 years; (3) Vita-K 'n' CKD Study - clinical trial to determine the effects of vitamin K supplementation on arterial stiffness and endothelial function in chronic kidney disease patients on hemodialysis. Lastly, Dr. Pollock is also conducting a 2-year longitudinal study in 9 to 15-year-old children to determine the influence of cardiovascular disease risk factors on bone strength development (Healthy Heart 'n' Bones Study).

Vitamin K and Glucose Metabolism in Children at Risk for Diabetes

(IRB# 611523) Vita-K 'n' Kids Study I
Role: Principal Investigator

Vitamin K and Glucose Metabolism in Adults at Risk for Diabetes

(IRB# 620511) - Vita-K 'n' Adults Study
Role: Principal Investigator

Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Childhood Bone Development

(IRB# 616274) - Healthy Heart 'n' Bones Study
Role: Principal Investigator

Vitamin K to Slow Progression of Dyslipidemia and Diabetes Risk

(IRB# 931430) - Vita-K 'n' Kids Study II
Role: Principal Investigator

Vitamin K to Slow Progression of Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Chronic Kidney Disease

(IRB# 683534) - Vita-K 'n' CKD Study
Role: Principal Investigator

2002
Recipient of the 2002 Undergraduate Research Award, College of Family & Consumer Science, University of Georgia. Award accompanied by $500 cash prize. 

2005
Recipient of Award to Young Investigators (2005 FASEB MARC - Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology/Minority Access to Research Careers Travel Award) to support travel to and attendance at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

2006
Selected as the 1st prize of the Graduate Student Poster Competition at 2006 Georgia Nutrition Council Annual Meeting. Award accompanied by $300 cash prize.

2006
Recipient of Award to Young Investigators (2006 FASEB Minority Access to Research Careers Travel Award) to support travel to and attendance at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research.

2007
Recipient of 2007 Bill Flatt Nutrition Excellence Graduate Scholarship Award, University of Georgia’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences. This $1000 scholarship is given once a year to one Department of Foods and Nutrition graduate student in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Georgia.

2007
Recipient of the 2007-2008 ARCS Foundation Scholarship Award (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists). The ARCS Foundation is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization founded dedicated to helping meet the country's needs for scientists and engineers by providing scholarships to academically outstanding university students. Each year the Atlanta chapter of the ARCS funds six scholarships, in the amount of $7500, to doctoral students attending the University of Georgia.

2007
Recipient of Travel Award to Young Investigators to support travel to and attendance at the 2007 NIH Office of Dietary Supplements/American Society of Nutrition Conference on Vitamin D and Health in the 21st Century  held in Bethesda, Maryland.

2008
Recipient of the 2008 Outstanding Publication for Enhancing The Physical Quality of Life for the paper: Pollock NK, Laing EM, Baile CA, Hamrick MW, Hall DB, Lewis RD. Is adiposity advantageous for bone strength? A peripheral quantitative computed tomography study in late adolescent females. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;86(5):1530–1538. This annual award is given to a graduate student in College of Family and Consumer Sciences at University of Georgia. Award accompanied by $500 cash prize.

2008
Recipient of Award to Young Investigators (2008 FASEB Minority Access to Research Careers Travel Award) to support travel to and attendance at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research.

2009
Recipient of 2009 ASBMR Plenary Poster Award for the study: Pollock NK, Laing EM, Hamrick MW, Baile CA, and Lewis RD. Adiposity and bone structural development in young adult females: A 3-year follow-up study. Presented at the 31st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research in Denver CO.

2009
Recipient of 2009 ASBMR Plenary Poster Award for the study: Pollock NK, Dong Y, Gutin B, Hamrick MW. Lower bone mass and adiponectin in overweight adolescents with cardiometabolic risk factors. Presented at the 31st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research in Denver CO.

2010
Recipient of 2010 American Diabetes Association 70th Scientific Sessions Plenary Poster Award for the study: Pollock NK, Bernard PJ, Wenger K, Misra S, Waller JL, Gower BA, Allison JD, Davis CL. Lower bone mass in prepubertal overweight children with pre-diabetes. Presented at the 70th Annual Meeting of the Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association in Orlando FL.

2010
Recipient of NIH Pediatric Research Extramural Award (ID #: L40 HL110299; SEPT 2010-JUN 2012).

2011
Recipient of the 2011 ABMR Young Investigator Award for the study: Pollock NK, Bernard PJ, Gower BA, Wenger K, Misra S, Allison JD, Davis CL. Dose-response effect of vigorous aerobic exercise on bone turnover, insulin sensitivity, and adiposity in obese children: A randomized controlled trial. Presented as oral presentation at the 33st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research in San Diego CO. Award accompanied by $1000 cash prize.

2012
Recipient of the 2012 Outstanding Young Clinical Science Faculty Award from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. This award is presented annually to one MCG faculty member and it is intended to signify outstanding achievement by faculty at the tenure-track assistant professor rank. Award accompanied by $500 prize.

2012
Recipient of 2012 ASBMR Travel Award for the study: Pollock NK, Gower BA, Wenger K, Allison JD, Davis CL. Effects of aerobic exercise on carboxylated and undercarboxylated forms of osteocalcin and their relationship to exercise-induced changes in insulin sensitivity and visceral and total body fat in overweight children. Presented as oral presentation at the 34th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research in Minneapolis MN. Award accompanied by $500 cash prize.

2013
Member of National Institutes of Health Early Career Reviewer program of Center for Scientific Review (Study Section: Integrative Nutrition and Metabolic Processes), 2013 to present.

2014
Finalist (one of three) for the 2014 Emily Quinn Pou Professional Achievement Award. This award is presented to former University of Georgia’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences alumni who have attained substantial achievements and are at the midpoint of their careers.

2016
Recipient of the 2016 Emily Quinn Pou Professional Achievement Award. This award is presented annually to former University of Georgia's College of Family and Consumer Sciences alumni who have attained substantial achievements and are at the midpoint of their careers.

1. Pollock NK, Laing E, Modlesky C, O’Connor PJ, Lewis RD. (2006) Former college artistic gymnasts maintain higher BMD: A 9-year follow-up. Osteoporosis International. 2006;17:1691-97.

2. Pollock NK, Laing EM, Baile CA, Hamrick MW, Hall DB, Lewis RD. (2007) Is adiposity advantageous for bone strength? A pQCT study in late adolescent females. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007;86:1530-38.

3. Pollock NK, Hamrick MW, Laing E, Baile CA, Hall DB, Lewis RD. (2008) Fallacy of using percent body fat as a measure of adiposity. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2008;87:1959-60.

4. Hamrick MW, Della-Ferra MA, Baile CA, Pollock NK, and Lewis RD. (2009) Body fat as a regulator of bone mass: Experimental evidence from animal models. Clinical Reviews in Bone and Mineral Metabolism. 2009;7(3):224-229.

5. Dong Y*, Pollock NK*, Stallmann-Jorgensen, Gutin B, Ling L, Chen TC, Keeton D, Petty K, Holick MF, and Zhu H. (2010) Low 25-Hydroxyvitamin D levels in adolescents: race, season, adiposity, physical activity, and fitness. Pediatrics. 2010;125(6):1104-11. (*Co-First Authorship)

6. Dong Y, Stallmann-Jorgensen IS, Pollock NK, Harris RA, Keeton D, Huang Y, Li K, Bassali R, Guo DH, Thomas J, Pierce GL, White J, Holick MF, Zhu H. (2010) A 16-Week Randomized Clinical Trial of 2000 IU Daily Vitamin D Supplementation in Black Youth: 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, Adiposity, and Arterial Stiffness. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2010;95(10):4584-91.

7. Pollock NK, Bernard PJ, Wenger K, Misra S, Gower BA, Allison JD, Zhu H, Davis CL. (2010) Lower bone mass in prepubertal overweight children with pre-diabetes. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. 2010;25(12):2484-2493.

8. Pollock NK and Hamrick MW. Muscle and Bone: Meeting Report from the 32^nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research, 2010. BoneKey, Official Journal of the International Bone and Mineral Society. 2010;7(12):473-476.

9. Breen ME, Laing E, Hall D, Hausman D, Taylor R, Isales C, Ding K, Pollock NK, Hamrick MW, Baile C, Lewis R. (2011) 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, insulin-like growth factor-1 and bone accrual during growth. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2011;96(1):E89-98.

10. Shapses SA, Pollock NK, and Lewis RD. (2011) Obesity, Adipose Tissue, and Bone. In: Anderson JB, Garner SC, Klemmer PJ. (Eds.), Diet, Nutrients and Bone Health. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Inc. (ISBN:9781439819555).

11. Pollock NK, Laing EM, Taylor RG, Baile CA, Hamrick MW, Hall DB, Lewis RD. (2011) Comparisons of trabecular and cortical bone in late adolescent black and white females. Journal of Bone and Mineral Metabolism. 2011;29(1):44-53.

12. Pollock NK, Laing EM, Hamrick MW, Baile CA, Lewis RD. (2011) Bone and fat relationships in adolescent black females: A pQCT study. Osteoporosis International. 2011;22(2):655-665.

13. Pollock NK, Bernard PJ, Gutin B, Davis CL, Zhu H, Dong Y. (2011) Adolescent obesity, bone mass, and cardiometabolic risk factors. Journal of Pediatrics. 2011;158(5):727-734. (Accompanied by Editorial*).

*Comment in: Kalkwarf HJ. (2011) Adiposity and bone: the influence of subcutaneous versus visceral fat and insulin resistance. Journal of Pediatrics. 2011;158(5):698-700.

14. Pollock NK, Bernard PJ, Gower BA, Gundberg CM, Wenger K, Misra S, Bassali R, Davis CL. (2011) Lower uncarboxylated osteocalcin concentrations in children with pre-diabetes is associated with β-cell function. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2011;96(7):E1092-99.

15. Pollock NK. Muscle and Bone: Meeting Report from the 33^rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research, 2011. BoneKey, Official Journal of the International Bone and Mineral Society. Published online January 25, 2012 doi:10.1038/bonekey.2012.25.

16. Pollock NK, Bundy V, Kanto W, Davis CL, Bernard PJ, Zhu H, Gutin B, Dong Y. (2012) Greater fructose consumption is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors and visceral adiposity in adolescents. Journal of Nutrition. 2012;142(2):251-257.

17. Davis CL and Pollock NK. (2012) Does physical activity enhance cognition and academic achievement in children? A Review. Medscape Diabetes and Endocrinology. Published online May 30, 2012.

18. Parikh S, Guo D, Pollock NK, Petty K, Bhagatwala J, Gutin B, Houk C, Zhu H, Dong Y. (2012) Circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations are correlated with cardiometabolic risk among American black and white adolescents living in a year-round sunny climate. Diabetes Care. 2012;35(5):1133-1138.

19. Parikh S,* Pollock NK,* Bhagatwala J, Guo D, Gutin B, Zhu H, Dong Y. (2012) Adolescent fiber consumption is associated with visceral fat and inflammation. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2012;97(8):E1451-1457. (*Co-First Authorship and Senior Author)

20. Davis CL, Pollock NK, Waller JL, Allison JD, Dennis AD, Bassali R, Meléndez A, Boyle CA, Gower BA. (2012) Exercise dose and diabetes risk in overweight and obese children: A randomized, controlled trial. JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association. 2012;308(11):1103-1112. 

21. Laing EM, Tripp R, Pollock NK, Baile CA, Della-Ferra MA, Rayalam S, Tompkins S, Key D, Lewis RD. Adenovirus 36, adiposity, and bone strength in late-adolescent females. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. 2013;28(3):489-96.

22. Davis CL, Waller JL, Pollock NK. Exercise for overweight children and diabetes risk – Reply. JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association. 2013;309(2):133-134.

23. Gower BA, Pollock NK, Casazza K, Clemens TL, Goree LL, Granger WM. (2013) Associations of total and undercarboxylated osteocalcin with peripheral and hepatic insulin sensitivity and β-cell function in overweight adults. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2013;98(7):E1173-80.

24. Guo D, Parikh S, Chao J, Pollock NK, Wang X, Snieder H, Navis G, Bhagatwala J, Zhu H, Dong Y. (2013) Urinary prostasin excretion is associated with adiposity in non-hypertensive African American adolescents. Pediatric Research. 2013;74(2):206-210. 

25. Berger PK, Principe JL, Laing EM, Henley EC, Pollock NK, Taylor RG, Blair RM, Baile CA, DB Hall, Lewis RD. Weight gain in college females is not prevented by isoflavones-rich soy protein: a randomized controlled trial. Nutrition Research. 2014;34(1):66-73.

26. Zhu H, Pollock NK, Kotak I, Gutin B, Wang X, Bhagatwala J, Parikh S, Harshfield GA, Dong Y. Dietary sodium, adiposity, and inflammation in healthy adolescents. Pediatrics. 2014;133(3):1-8.

27. Erion J, Wosiski-Kuhn M, Dey A, Hao S, Davis CL, Pollock NK, Stranahan A. Obesity elicitis interleukin 1-mediated deficits in hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Journal of Neuroscience. 2014;34(7):2618-31.

28. Berger PK, Pollock NK, Laing EM, Warden SJ, Hill-Gallant KM, Hausman DB, Tripp RA, McCabe LD, McCabe GP, Weaver CM, Peacock M, Lewis RD. Association of adenovirus 36 infection with adiposity and inflammatory-related markers in children. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2014;99(9):3240-46.

29. Kindler JM, Goff HL, Laing EM, Modlesky CM, Pollock NK, Baile CA, Lewis RD. Load specific physical activity scores are related to tibia bone architecture. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2015;25(2):136-144. 

30. Pollock NK. Childhood obesity, bone development, and cardiometabolic risk factors. (2015) Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. 2015;410(7):52-63.

31. Zhu H, Bhagatwala J, Pollock NK, Parikh S, Gutin B, Stallmann-Jorgensen I, Thomas J, Harshfield G, Dong Y. (2015) High sodium intake is associated with short leukocyte telomere length in overweight and obese adolescents. International Journal of Obesity. 2015;39(8):1249-1253.

32. Bhagatwala J, Zhu H, Parikh S, Guo D, Kotak I, Huang Y, Havens R, Pham M, Afari E, Kim S, Cutler C, Pollock NK, Dong Y. (2015) Dose and time responses of vitamin D biomarkers to monthly vitamin D supplementation in overweight/obese African Americans with suboptimal vitamin D status: a placebo controlled randomized trial. BMC Obesity. 2015;2:27 doi:10.1186/s40608-015-0056-2.

33. Berger PK, Pollock NK, Laing EM, Chertin V, Bernard PJ, Grider A, Shapses SA, Ding K, Isales CM, Lewis RD. (2015) Zinc supplementation increases procollagen type 1 amino-terminal propeptide (P1NP) in premenarcheal females: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Nutrition. 2015;145(12):2699-2704.

34. Kindler JM, Pollock NK, Laing EM, Jenkins NT, Oshri A, Isales CM, Hamrick MW, Lewis RD. (2016) Insulin resistance negatively influences the muscle-dependent IGF-1-bone mass relationship in premenarcheal girls. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2016;101(1):199-205.

35. Stansfield BK, Fain ME, Bhatia J, Gutin B, Nguyen JT, Pollock NK*. Nonlinear relationship between birthweight and visceral fat in adolescents. Journal of Pediatrics. 2016;174(7):185-192. (*Senior author)

36. Stojek MK, Montoya AK, Drescher C, Newberry A, Sultan Z, Williams CF, Pollock NK, Davis CL. Fitness, sleep-disordered breathing, depression symptoms and cognition in overweight inactive children: A mediation model. Public Health Reports. 2017:132(2_suppl):65S-73S.

37. McGee-Lawrence ME, Wenger KH, Misra S, Davis CL, Pollock NK, Elsalanty M, Ding K, Isales CM, Hamrick MW, Wosiski-Kuhn M, Arounleut P, Mattson MP, Cutlar RG, Yu JC, Stranahan AM. Whole-body vibration mimics the metabolic effects of exercise in male leptin receptor deficient mice. Endocrinology. 2017; 158(5): 1160-1171. 

38.  Kindler JM, Pollock NK, Laing EM, Oshri A, Jenkins NT, Isales CA, Hamrick MW, Ding K, Hausman DB, McCabe GP, Martin B, Hill-Gallant KM, Warden SJ, Weaver CM, Peacock M, Lewis RD. Insulin resistance and the IGF-1-cortical bone relationship in children ages 9-13 years.  Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. 2017; 32(7):1537-1545. 

39. Lobene AJ, Kindler JM, Jenkins NT, Pollock NK, Laing EM, Grider A, Lewis RD. Zinc supplementation does not alter indicators of insulin secretion and sensitivity in black and white female adolescents. The Journal of Nutrition. 2017; 147(7): 1296-1300. 

40. Douthit MK, *Faine ME, *Nguyen JT, Williams CF, Jasti AH, Gutin B, Pollock NK^†. Phylloquinone (vitamin K₁) intake is associated with cardiac structure and function in adolescents. The Journal of Nutrition. 2017;147(10):1960-1967. *Co-First Authorship. ^†Senior Author. 

41. Kindler JM, Pollock NK, Ross HL, Modlesky CM, Harshvardhan S, Laing EM, Lewis RD. Obese versus normal-weight late-adolescent females have inferior trabecular bone microarchitecture: a pilot case-control study. Calcified Tissue International. 2017:101(5):479-488.

42. Raed A, Bhagatwala J, Zhu H, Pollock NK, Mazzoli A, Acharya N, Basu R, Patel K, Patterson G, Ramayya T, Alias S, Kotak I, Dong Y, Huang Y, Parikh SJ, Li W, Houk C, Layman D, DOng Y. Obesity and related cardiometabolic risk in young US Hispanic farmworkers: A neglected public health problem. J J Commun Med. 2017;3(1):030.

43. Raed A, Bhagatwala J, Zhu H, Pollock NK, Parikh SJ, Huang Y, Havens R, Kotak I, Guo D, Y Dong. Dose responses of vitamin D3 supplementation on arterial stiffness in overweight African Americans with vitamin D deficiency: a placebo controlled trial. PLoS ONE. 2017;12(12):e0188424. 

44. Patel P, Pollock NK, Bhatia J. Vitamin D and bone health in very low and extremely low birth weight infants. Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. 2017;1(1):1-4.

45. Raed A, Pollock NK, Bhagatwala J, Cromer P, Mazzoli A, Zhu H, Francisco T, Bilz J, Azevedo R, Clarke J, Lee SS, Murugappan A, Pasham V, Stewart D, Dong YT, Huang Y, Parikh SJ, Layman D, Dong Y. Alanine aminotransferase levels are associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in Hispanic/Latino farmworkers. Journal of Environment and Health Science. 2018;4(1):20-25.

46. Fain ME, Kapuku GK, Paulson WD, Raed A, Dong Y, Knapen MHJ, Vermeer C, Pollock NK*. Inactive matrix Gla protein, arterial stiffness, and endothelial function in African American hemodialysis patients. American Journal of Hypertension. 2018; April 7. doi: 10.1093/ajh/hpy049. [Epub ahead of print]. *Senior Author.