Dr. Burnier was the Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, from 1993 to 2008. He is a Full Professor of Ophthalmology, Pathology, Medicine and Oncology at McGill and he was also the Thomas O. Hecht Family Chair in Ophthalmology (1996-2012). This is the first and the only endowment Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology. It was awarded to Dr. Burnier upon his arrival as Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology. Dr. Burnier is currently the Director of Training & Development of the McGill University Health Centre Research Institute.
Dr. Burnier received his MD and completed residencies in Pathology and Ophthalmology in Brazil and an MSc. and PhD. in Ocular Pathology. Dr. Burnier trained at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) and was Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathology, Federal University of Sao Paulo. Dr. Burnier then returned as Professor and Senior Scientist at both the AFIP and the National Eye Institute until his recruitment to McGill University.
An extremely active researcher with a particular interest in uveal melanoma, Dr. Burnier is the Director of the McGill University Ocular Pathology Laboratory. The Laboratory is a unique facility in Canada and has become the largest research and training center in Ocular Pathology in North America. It plays a crucial role as a consultancy service to Pathologists, Ophthalmologists and Oncologists and a teaching facility to medical students, residents and fellows from around the world. Over 200 fellows from different countries have passed through Dr. Burnier’s lab.
Title:“The Use of Digital Pathology in Ocular Pathology: Advantages of automated analysis”.
Abstract:
Ocular Pathology is a distinct subspecialty in anatomic pathology which requires clinical knowledge in ophthalmology and training in ocular diseases, in particular tumors of the surface of the eye, as well as, intraocular tumors. In many instances, ocular pathologists receive consultations from outside their hospital including national and international ones. Digital pathology plays a crucial role in this process. Particularly in Ocular Pathology, the difference between the analysis of selected images compared to the whole slide image is crucial.
The open platform of many digital pathology systems allows for the development of specific programs for ocular pathology. Objective assessment through automated analysis in particular for intraocular tumors became an important tool to diagnose these lesions. The assessment of immunohistochemical panels is also possible through those digital pathology systems. Several morphological features of intraocular tumors such as, mitosis, areas of necrosis, number of rossettes, identification of nuclei and nucleoli, as well as, scores of immunohistochemical markers are desirable in ocular pathology.
Clinical pathological cases will be shown to exemplify the advantages of digital pathology in ocular pathology, as well as, the use of automated analysis in those particular systems.