
J. William Harbour, M.D.
Professor & Chair
Endowed Title The David Bruton, Jr. Chair in Ophthalmology
School Medical School
Department Ophthalmology | Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center
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Biography
J. William Harbour, M.D., is Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He specializes in ocular oncology.
Dr. Harbour earned his medical degree at Johns Hopkins University and completed a residency in ophthalmology at the Wills Eye Hospital of Thomas Jefferson University. He received advanced training through a fellowship in vitreoretinal diseases and surgery at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami, a fellowship in ocular oncology at the University of California, San Francisco, and research training in molecular oncology at Washington University in St. Louis.
Certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology, he joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2021.
Previously, Dr. Harbour held the Dr. Mark J. Daily, M.D., Endowed Chair at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, where he also served as Director of Ocular Oncology and Vice Chair for Translational Research. He also served as Associate Director for Basic Science at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center of the University of Miami.
Dr. Harbour’s clinical interests focus on ocular tumors such as uveal melanoma, retinoblastoma, and lymphoma. He has trained many residents and fellows and pioneered new surgical methods in fine needle biopsy, laser treatment, and brachytherapy of ocular tumors. He also has been awarded patents for innovations in genetic prognostic testing for uveal melanoma.
His research interests include the use of genetic and genomic technologies to better understand, diagnose, and treat eye cancers. His team discovered three of the most important genomic drivers of metastasis in uveal melanoma, as well as key genomic events in retinoblastoma. His contributions to the field have been recognized by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology’s Cogan Award and the Macula Society’s Paul Henkind and Rosenthal Awards, among many others.
Dr. Harbour has delivered more than 300 invited scientific lectures and published more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters.
He is an Associate Editor for Melanoma Research and has served on the editorial boards of Archives of Ophthalmology, Translational Vision Science & Technology, Melanoma Management, Expert Review of Ophthalmology, and Faculty of 1000.
Dr. Harbour is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Association of American Physicians, American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Association for Cancer Research, and American Association of Ophthalmic Oncologists and Pathologists, and he is the founder of the Collaborative Ocular Oncology Group.
Education
- Medical School
- Johns Hopkins University (1990)
- Internship
- Greater Baltimore Medical Center (1991), Internal Medicine
- Residency
- Wills Eye Hospital (1994), Ophthalmology
- Fellowship
- Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (1995), Retina
- Fellowship
- University of California San Francisco (1996), Ocular Oncology Pathology
- Research Fellowship
- Washington University School of Medicine (1999), Molecular Oncology
Research Interest
- Ocular Oncology
- Retinoblastoma
- Uveal Melanoma
Publications
Featured Publications
- PRAME induces genomic instability in uveal melanoma.
- Harbour JW, Kurtenbach S, Sanchez M, Kuznetsoff J, Rodriguez D, Weich N, Dollar J, Cruz A, Kurtenbach S, Field M, Decatur C, Sorouri M, Lai F, Shiekhattar R, Pelaez D, Correa Z, Verdun R, Res Sq 2023 Apr
- RB1 loss triggers dependence on ESRRG in retinoblastoma.
- Field MG, Kuznetsoff JN, Zhang MG, Dollar JJ, Durante MA, Sayegh Y, Decatur CL, Kurtenbach S, Pelaez D, Harbour JW, Sci Adv 2022 Aug 8 33 eabm8466
- The Global Retinoblastoma Outcome Study: a prospective, cluster-based analysis of 4064 patients from 149 countries.
- Lancet Glob Health 2022 08 10 8 e1128-e1140
- BAP1 Loss Promotes Suppressive Tumor Immune Microenvironment via Upregulation of PROS1 in Class 2 Uveal Melanomas.
- Kaler CJ, Dollar JJ, Cruz AM, Kuznetsoff JN, Sanchez MI, Decatur CL, Licht JD, Smalley KSM, Correa ZM, Kurtenbach S, Harbour JW, Cancers (Basel) 2022 Jul 14 15
- Multiregional genetic evolution of metastatic uveal melanoma.
- Rodriguez DA, Yang J, Durante MA, Shoushtari AN, Moschos SJ, Wrzeszczynski KO, Harbour JW, Carvajal RD, NPJ Genom Med 2021 Aug 6 1 70
- Impact of Genetic Ancestry on Prognostic Biomarkers in Uveal Melanoma.
- Rodriguez DA, Sanchez MI, Decatur CL, Correa ZM, Martin ER, Harbour JW, Cancers (Basel) 2020 Oct 12 11
- Biological Mechanisms and Clinical Significance of BAP1 Mutations in Human Cancer.
- Carbone M, Harbour JW, Brugarolas J, Bononi A, Pagano I, Dey A, Krausz T, Pass HI, Yang H, Gaudino G, Cancer Discov 2020 08 10 8 1103-1120
- Single-cell analysis reveals new evolutionary complexity in uveal melanoma.
- Durante MA, Rodriguez DA, Kurtenbach S, Kuznetsov JN, Sanchez MI, Decatur CL, Snyder H, Feun LG, Livingstone AS, Harbour JW, Nat Commun 2020 01 11 1 496
- BAP1 regulates epigenetic switch from pluripotency to differentiation in developmental lineages giving rise to BAP1-mutant cancers.
- Kuznetsov JN, Aguero TH, Owens DA, Kurtenbach S, Field MG, Durante MA, Rodriguez DA, King ML, Harbour JW, Sci Adv 2019 09 5 9 eaax1738
- BAP1 Loss Is Associated with DNA Methylomic Repatterning in Highly Aggressive Class 2 Uveal Melanomas.
- Field MG, Kuznetsov JN, Bussies PL, Cai LZ, Alawa KA, Decatur CL, Kurtenbach S, Harbour JW, Clin Cancer Res 2019 09 25 18 5663-5673
Books
Featured Books
Cellular and Genetic Events in Retinal Tumorigenesis. In Clinical Ocular Oncology, 2nd Edition
Dyer MA, Harbour JW (2014). Elsevier
Intraocular Lymphoma. In Albert and Jakobiec's Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology, 4th Edition
Echegaray JJ, Harbour JW (2021). Springer
Choroidal Nevus and Melanocytoma. In Albert and Jakobiec's Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology, 4th Edition
Alhumaid S, Harbour JW (2020). Springer
Intraocular Lymphoma. In Albert and Jakobiec's Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology, 4th Edition
Echegaray JJ, Harbour JW (2020). Springer
Intraocular Lymphoma. In The Retina Illustrated, 2nd Edition
Paez-Escamilla M, Andreoli M, Harbour JW (2019). Thieme Publishers
Initial management of uveal and conjunctival melanomas. In UpToDate (https://www.uptodate.com/contents/initial-management-of-uveal-and-conjunctival-melanomas?csi=6b3b6b40-70aa-4e13-b4f3-20d893aa7f57&source=contentShare#H4241265126)
Harbour JW, Shih HA (2018).
Intraocular Lymphoma: A Clinical Approach. In The Retina Illustrated, 1st Edition
Paez-Escamilla M, Andreoli M, Harbour JW (2018). Thieme Publishers
Genomics and Precision Medicine in the Management of Ocular Tumors. In Vitreoretinal Surgical Techniques, 3rd Edition
Paez-Escamilla M, Walter S, Harbour JW (2018). CRC Press
Uveal Melanoma. In Encyclopedia of Cancer, 4th Edition
Ehlers JP, Harbour JW (2017). Berlin Heidelberg, Springer-Verlag
Retinoblastoma: Clinical and Molecular Perspectives. In The Molecular Basis of Human Cancer, 2nd Edition
Harbour JW, Walter SD (2015). Springer
Molecular Biology of Retinoblastoma. In Recent Advances in Retinoblastoma Treatment
Walter SD, Harbour JW (2015). Springer
Second Primary Tumors in Retinoblastoma. In Orbital Tumors: Diagnosis and Treatment, 2nd Edition
Harbour JW. Mohsenin A (2014). Springer
Cancer Genetics. In Clinical Ocular Oncology 2nd Edition
Harbour JW, Chao DL (2013). Springer
Honors & Awards
- Alcon Research Award
(2016) - Retina Research Foundation/Kayser Global Award
Given by the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology for breakthroughs in genetic and genomic research (2015) - Paul Henkind Memorial Award and Lecture
Macula Society (for outstanding retinal researcher) (2014) - Senior Scientific Investigator
Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc. (2014) - Silver Fellow
ARVO (2014) - Honor Award
American Society of Retina Specialists (2013) - Shaler Richardson, MD Service to Medicine Award
Florida Society of Ophthalmology (for personal contribution to quality patient care by collaborating and integrating ophthalmology into the medical profession on a national level) (2013) - Senior Achievement Award
AAO (2012) - Research Award
Ocular Melanoma Foundation (2011) - Rosenthal Award
Macula Society (for an individual under 50 years of age whose work gives high promise of a notable advance in the clinical treatment of disorders of the eye) (2008) - Teacher of the Year Award in Research
DOVS, Washington University (2007) - Cogan Award
ARVO (for a researcher <40 years of age who has made important contributions to research in ophthalmology/visual science) (2005) - Achievement Award
AAO (2003) - Physician-Scientist Award
Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc. (2002) - Heed-Knapp Ophthalmic Fellowship
UC San Francisco (1995-1996) - Heed Ophthalmic Foundation Fellowship
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (1994-1995) - Housestaff Research Award
Greater Baltimore Medical Center (1991) - Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
Johns Hopkins University (1990) - Paul Ehrlich Clinical Research Award
Johns Hopkins University (1990) - Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society
Johns Hopkins University (1990) - Phi Eta Sigma Academic Scholarship
Johns Hopkins University (1985) - Summa Cum Laude
Texas A&M University (1985) - Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society
Texas A&M University (1984) - Phi Lambda Upsilon Chemistry Honor Society
Texas A&M University (1984) - Beta Beta Beta Biology Honor Society
Texas A&M University (1983) - Academic Scholarships
Texas A&M University (1982-1984) - Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society
Texas A&M University (1982) - University Honors Program
Texas A&M University (1982-1985) - Dean's Honor Roll
Texas A&M University (1981-1985)
Professional Associations/Affiliations
- American Academy of Ophthalmology (1991)
- American Association for Cancer Research (1996)
- American Association of Ophthalmic Oncologists & Pathologists (2000)
- American Ophthalmological Society (2014)
- American Society of Retina Specialists (1996)
- Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (1992)
- Association of American Physicians (2010)
- Collaborative Ocular Oncology Group (2007)
- International Society of Ocular Oncology (1998)
- Macula Society (1999)
- Retina Society (1998)
- Society for Melanoma Research (2010)
- Society of Heed Fellows (1996)