Location
Areas of Expertise
Meet Dr. James Harbour
About Me
Dr. J. William Harbour is a board-certified ophthalmologist who specializes in ocular oncology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of ocular tumors, including uveal melanoma, retinoblastoma, and ocular lymphoma. He has pioneered advanced surgical techniques such as fine needle biopsy, laser treatment, and brachytherapy for eye cancers, and holds patents for genetic prognostic testing for uveal melanoma.
Dr. Harbour earned his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University and completed his ophthalmology residency at Wills Eye Hospital. He received advanced fellowship training in vitreoretinal diseases and ocular oncology at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and UCSF, and research training in molecular oncology at Washington University in St. Louis. He joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2021 after previously serving as Director of Ocular Oncology at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and Associate Director for Basic Science at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology, Dr. Harbour has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and delivered more than 300 invited lectures. His research has been recognized with the Cogan Award from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and the Paul Henkind and Rosenthal Awards from the Macula Society.
Training

Molecular Oncology
1999WashU in St. Louis
Fellowship
Ocular Oncology Pathology
1996University of California, San Francisco
Fellowship
Retina
1995University of Miami
Fellowship
Ophthalmology Residency
1994Thomas Jefferson University
ResidencyInternal Medicine
1991Greater Baltimore Medical Center
Residency
Awards & Honors
Alcon Research Institute Award
2016Alcon Research Institute
Paul Henkind Memorial Award and Lecture
2014Macula Society
Senior Scientific Investigator
2014Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc.
Silver Fellow
2014Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Rosenthal Award
2008Macula Society
Cogan Award
2005Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Publications & Press
BCOR Mutations Deregulate Cell Cycle and Hypoxic Adaptation Pathways in Retinoblastoma
Molecular Cancer Research•2026Identification of targetable epigenetic vulnerabilities for uveal melanoma
Cell Death and Disease•2026Retinoblastoma outcomes in Europe: a prospective analysis of 483 patients from 40 countries
Eye (Basingstoke)•2026
Certifications & Licensure
- Licensed In
- TX
- License Numbers
- T4173


