In Memory of Dr. Anita M. Borges

19 November 1947-18 September 2025

Dr. Anita Maria Borges, the Doyen of Histopathology in India, suddenly left for her heavenly abode on 18th September 2025.

Born in Mumbai in 1947, she did her MBBS and MD (Pathology) at the Topiwala National Medical College and B.Y.L. Nair Charitable Hospital, Mumbai, India and was also a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath), London, United Kingdom. Dr. Anita Borges also trained and worked at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK and at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA. After her return to India, she worked at Indian premier cancer Institute, Tata Memorial Hospital, for more than 25 years where she was Professor and Head of Surgical Pathology. Currently, she was Director of the Center for Oncopathology, Mumbai and also the Head of the Histopathology Department at S.L Raheja Hospital, Mumbai.

She was the leading Surgical Pathologist and Oncopathologist in India and indeed well known in most parts of the globe. Dr. Anita Borges was considered the ultimate authority on Surgical Pathology and Oncopathology in India and received references for her opinion not only from all over India but from many places abroad. Renowned for her diagnostic skills and profound knowledge of histopathology and oncopathology her opinion and advise was much sought after by other Pathologists, Surgeons, Oncologists, Clinicians and indeed the general public who looked to her as the last and final word on histopathology and cancer diagnosis.

Dr. Anita Borges was a renowned expert in all spheres of Oncopathology but her special interests were in Head and Neck Cancers, Oral cancer and Lymphomas. She served on the WHO panel for Head and Neck cancers. She was a prolific writer and had large number of publications in reputed Journals and was on the editorial Board of several Journals 

A gifted and born teacher and Orator she was much sort after as a speaker for all levels of academic programmes from local, regional, national and international. She was passionate in teaching Pathology trainees and was running a very successful and much acclaimed online teaching programme for Post Graduate students in Pathology and was also actively involved in teaching Surgical Pathology in meetings all over India and abroad.

Dr. Anita Borges also occupied a number of important posts in her long career having served the IAP-Indian Division as its President and also the International Academy of Pathology (IAP) and was currently serving on the Education Committee of the IAP and had been earlier in the past the Vice President for Asia of the IAP. She also served the Indian College of Pathologist (ICP) as Dean and Overseas Advisor of the ICP. She served with distinction in various Oncology bodies and the NABL. She was also an active participant in Indian Association of Pathologists and Microbiologists (IAPM) activities and was speaker for large number of APCONs and various IAPM Chapter meetings.

Dr. Anita Borges was a highly cultured and had an encyclopedic knowledge of various spheres of life besides Medicine like the classic literature, music and philosophy and was a veritable store house of knowledge.

Very warm and kind hearted Dr. Anita Borges was a wonderful person who was much liked, admired and revered by all. She will be sorely missed and she has left a huge void both in the Pathology community as well in all her friends and admirers. Having been a close personal friend for more than four decades, her sudden passing was especially painful to me personally. She will always live in the hearts and minds of all those she has touched in various ways in their lives. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family. May her soul rest in peace.

Dr. Francisco Couto

IAP Vice President for Asia