AREAS OF EXPERTISE
EPIDEMIOLOGY & CAUSAL INFERENCE
Evaluation of study design, temporality, confounding, selection bias, measurement error, dose-response evidence, reverse causation, and the strength and limits of observational findings.
BEHAVIORAL & PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES
Clinical and population-level evaluation of behavioral and psychological outcomes, including baseline vulnerability, family and peer context, co-occurring exposures, and alternative explanations.
EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS
Systematic review, meta-analysis, meta-regression, pooled analysis, evidence mapping, and disciplined comparison of findings across studies and populations.
PUBLICATIONS & ANALYSIS
After Durnell, Connecting Science And Causation Will Be Key
LAW360 — JULY 2, 2026
Supreme Court ruling on Roundup points to a confusing difference between the law and science
STAT — JUNE 27, 2026
SCIENTIFIC DEPTH. CLINICAL PERSPECTIVE. LITIGATION RELEVANCE.
Alex Smolak holds a PhD and MPhil from Columbia University and an MSW from the University of Washington. Since 2013, he has served as a Research Associate with the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group.
His research includes systematic reviews, meta-analyses, meta-regressions, and pooled analyses. His scientific work includes first-author articles in The Lancet Global Health and Clinical Infectious Diseases.
His practitioner analysis has appeared in Law360 and STAT, and his work combines epidemiologic methods with more than twenty years of clinical mental-health experience.
DISCUSS A MATTER
Counsel may contact Alex Smolak regarding early scientific case assessment, literature evaluation, expert-method review, or a potential consulting or testifying engagement.