J. William Harbour, M.D.

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.

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

• Ocular Oncology
• Retinoblastoma
• Uveal Melanoma

Featured Publications

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

Genomic evolution of uveal melanoma arising in ocular melanocytosis.

Durante MA, Field MG, Sanchez MI, Covington KR, Decatur CL, Dubovy SR, Harbour JW, Cold Spring Harb Mol Case Stud 2019 08 5 4

 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

• 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)

• American Ophthalmological Society (2014)
• Association of American Physicians (2010)
• Society for Melanoma Research (2010)
• Collaborative Ocular Oncology Group (2007)
• American Association of Ophthalmic Oncologists & Pathologists (2000)
• Macula Society (1999)
• International Society of Ocular Oncology (1998)
• Retina Society (1998)
• American Association for Cancer Research (1996)
• American Society of Retina Specialists (1996)
• Society of Heed Fellows (1996)
• Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (1992)
• American Academy of Ophthalmology (1991)