Stephen J. Polyak

Stephen J. Polyak is a Research Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Washington (UW), with adjunct appointments in the Departments of Global Health and Microbiology. He leads the Master’s of Laboratory Medicine Graduate Program and co-developed the Certificate Program in Clinical Laboratory Leadership & Management, emphasizing pandemic preparedness and antiviral drug discovery.

• Education: PhD in Molecular Virology and Immunology (McMaster University, 1993), Postdoctoral Fellowships in Microbiology and Laboratory Medicine (UW, 1993-1998)

Dr. Polyak’s research spans virus-host interactions for flaviviruses (hepatitis C, Zika), filoviruses (Ebola, Marburg), arenaviruses (Lassa, Junin), and coronaviruses (SARS-CoV-2). His lab investigates antiviral mechanisms of botanical extracts and synthetic drugs, focusing on oral drug combinations for pandemic response. Collaborations with international institutions (Belgium, Canada, Singapore, etc.) highlight his global grant review contributions.

Recent publications emphasize alphavirus suppression via nucleoside analogues, SARS-CoV-2 rebound modeling, and host-directed therapies derived from network pharmacology. His work bridges ethnopharmacology and computational modeling to address viral pathogenesis and immune dysregulation in HIV and tuberculosis comorbidities.