Dominique Burns | ’14 M.S. Biotechnology and Bioinformatics
By Marya BarlowShortly after graduating from CSU Long Beach with a biology degree, Dominique Burns found herself applying for a laboratory job in a field she had never heard of before.
“I stumbled upon a position in histology,” she said. “I had no clue what histology was, but I quickly discovered it was an integral part of healthcare and patient care.”
Histologists or histotechnicians play a crucial role in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases by turning tissue samples into microscope slides for a pathologist to study. For Burns, it proved to be an ideal job, combining her passion for patient care with work in a lab setting.
“It’s really an art form to be able to get that perfect section of tissue so the pathologist has a clear view of everything in the tissue,” she said. “As you get good at it, it’s very exciting.”
Burns spent a decade as a histotechnician in both diagnostic labs and hospitals before becoming the manager of molecular and genetic pathology at Stanford Health Care in 2021. She now manages five departments, planning the direction of new tests, technologies, and specialized treatments. She works closely with medical directors throughout the hospital. In 2020, Burns helped Stanford become one of the first hospitals in the nation to go live with digital pathology – allowing physicians to read tissue slides remotely.
Dominique Burns works in histology, an integral part of healthcare in diagnosing diseases.
She says her master’s degree in biotechnology and bioinformatics at CSUCI is what enabled her to move seamlessly from hands-on lab work to management in one of the nation’s best hospitals.
“My degree at CSUCI opened up a new realm of opportunity for me to move into the molecular and genetic pathology manager role,” she said. “It provided me with so many skills for professional growth and gave me the tools and confidence to grow my career into a leadership role.”
Born and raised in Ventura County and graduating from St. Bonaventure High School,
Burns grew up playing sports and hoping to become a doctor of sports medicine. A clinical
internship during her senior year at CSU Long Beach convinced her she was more suited
to the lab. She hopes that her example will show students that there are many fulfilling
ways to provide patient care without necessarily being a doctor.
“You can still have a deep impact on patient care even if it’s not hands-on,” she said. “It’s behind-the-scenes work that allows us to treat the true problem and not just the symptoms. Without the lab, your doctor would be guessing.”