Dr. Bouma's research interests are primarily focused on the development and validation of new optical methods for disease diagnosis. It is a common observation in medicine that early intervention improves outcome. In certain cases, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, the difference between early and late detection can mean life or death. Light, and advance fiber-optic technologies in particular, open the prospect for minimally invasive diagnosis of early disease stages. Dr. Bouma's research has contributed substantially to the development of new imaging modalities, including optical coherence tomography (OCT), spectrally encoded confocal microscopy and spectrally encoded endoscopy. Since joining the Harvard Medical School faculty, Dr. Bouma has established several active collaborations within the Massachusetts General Hospital. These collaborations involve pathologists, clinicians, physicists and engineers conducting clinical studies in Gastroenterology, Urology, Otolaryngology, Cardiology, Dermatology and Gynecology. Current clinical studies include a natural history study of acute coronary syndromes and vulnerable plaque and the investigation of novel screening and surveillance methods for managing patients with Barrett's esophagus.
