Toni I. Pollin

Dr. Toni I. Pollin is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, with a secondary appointment in Epidemiology & Public Health. A board-certified genetic counselor and human geneticist, she leads the Personalized Diabetes Medicine Program (PDMP) and co-leads the ClinGen Genomic Clinical Variant Expert Curation Panel for Monogenic Diabetes.

• Education:
  • BS in Biology (Math Minor), The George Washington University (1993)
  • MS in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Genetics/Genetic Counseling, University of Minnesota (1997)
  • PhD in Human Genetics, University of Maryland Baltimore (2004)

Her research focuses on three areas: (1) identifying genetic variants linked to type 2 diabetes and treatment responses in the Amish, DPP, and TODAY studies; (2) investigating the cardioprotective effects of APOC3 mutations discovered in 2008; and (3) integrating genomic medicine into healthcare. She specializes in monogenic diabetes diagnostics, pharmacogenetics, and gene-environment interactions.

Recent publications emphasize monogenic diabetes detection, APOC3 deficiency, cardioprotective genetics, and bioinformatics tools for variant interpretation. Her work spans diabetes prevention, genomic diagnostics, and clinical implementation of precision medicine.

Scientific Awards:

• Diplomate, American Board of Genetic Counseling (1999–present)

Dr. Pollin has secured major grants, including NIH R01 HL104193, NHGRI U01 HG007775 (IGNITE Network), and NICHD U24 HD093486 (ClinGen Panel). She collaborates with institutions like Harvard, University of Chicago, and Mayo Clinic, advancing genomic medicine through research and education.