Stephen J. Polyak

Dr. Polyak is a Research Professor in the Virology Division of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology (DLMP) at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle.  He also holds adjunct faculty appointments in the UW’s Departments of Global Health (DGH) and Microbiology. 

Dr. Polyak’s research laboratory studies virus-host interactions, including work on flaviviruses (hepatitis C virus and Zika virus), filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg, arenaviruses (Lassa, Junin, and Pichinde), and more recently, coronaviruses (SARS-CoV-2) and alphaviruses. His lab has long-standing expertise is studying the antiviral properties of botanical natural products and synthetic drugs in cell culture systems. His current research is focused on development of oral drug combinations for viral pandemic preparedness and response.

Dr. Polyak’s research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) including NIAID, NIDDK, NCCIH, and NIAAA. He is an editorial board member and/or reviewer for several virology and cell biology journals. He regularly reviews grant applications for the NIH and internationally for multiple countries including Belgium, Canada, England, Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore, France, Netherlands, and the Czech Republic.

Dr. Polyak is also actively involved in undergraduate and graduate education. He is the Director of the DLMP Master’s program, where he teaches a course on Critical Thinking. He recently developed an online three course Certificate Program in Clinical Laboratory Leadership & Management. Dr. Polyak also teaches undergraduate and graduate courses for DGH.