Pathology Outreach

Our pathologists take great pride in meeting your individual consultation needs by providing direct interaction with you and/or the referring physician. Sign-out conferences are held daily to ensure that multiple Board-Certified Pathologists and PhDs collectively discern the findings, achieve a consensus on the diagnosis and/or assess the need for additional testing when appropriate. We also recognize the urgency in treatment required on many cases, which is why we offer preliminary notifications as available, as well as 24-hour coverage.

Our Anatomic and Clinical Laboratories are accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), with all technical personnel being appropriately licensed both at the national and state levels. Additionally, many technical personnel also possess a specialist license in their area of expertise.

We believe that our highest priority is customer satisfaction and the development of lasting relationships built on trust and friendship. Each request is processed like it belongs to one of our own family members with our philosophy being “nothing but our very best is acceptable.”

If you have any questions or require additional information, please call or email us. We continuously expand our test menu, so don’t hesitate to inquire about a test not listed on our website. We look forward to partnering with you to provide the highest quality, personalized pathology services available and developing a lasting relationship built on professionalism, trust and friendship.

Our Services

Nephropathology

Our pathology team offers consultations in renal pathology to diagnose medical diseases of the kidney. Diagnostic services provided include light microscopy, immunofluorescence and electron microscopy diagnostics; transplant diagnostics; renal tissue processing; and electron microscopy.

Muscle and Nerve Pathology

Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport provides a comprehensive neuropathology program studying diseases of the nervous system and the muscles. Our Neuromuscular Pathology services include muscle biopsy analysis, nerve biopsy analysis, surgical neuropathology consultations and autopsy brain analysis.

Urologic Pathology

We offer comprehensive urologic pathology services to diagnose urological disorders. Our services include histology on biopsies of the prostate, bladder, testis and vas deferens; immunohistochemistry; cytology; molecular testing; fluorescence in-situ hybridization; and PSA testing.

Surgical Pathology

Our surgical pathology program studies tissue samples removed during surgery to diagnose disease and help determine a treatment plan. Our pathologists provide consultation in a wide variety of medical subspecialties to provide diagnostic information and second opinions. Tissue biopsies and surgical resections undergo careful gross examination using the naked eye, followed by detailed microscopic examination and molecular diagnostics. Histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy and cytopathology may also be used to identify disease and help determine treatment.

Our History

Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport’s Pathology Department is a leader in the region with an extraordinary team of talented and dedicated academic and clinical staff members. The department has 24 faculty members, 12 residents, three fellows, and approximately 200 administrative and laboratory staff, including post-docs, research assistants, medical technologists, technicians and Pathologists’ Assistants.

For more than 50 years, this department has trained and educated researchers and healthcare professionals who have excelled nationally and internationally in academics, in industry and in the private community setting.

The department has a number of world-class researchers. Our Research Division receives more than $4.3 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other funding agencies, placing our department in the top 75th percentile in the United States. They participate in basic research, translational research and clinical trials.

Our department has a long history of providing outstanding pathology patient services, both in anatomical pathology and clinical pathology locally, regionally and nationally. Our clinical laboratories are all accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

Our Team

Xin Gu, MD | Professor and Medical Director of Electron Microscopy

Email: xin.gu@lsuhs.edu • Direct: 318-675-4762

Dr. Gu is a board-certified, fellowship-trained nephropathologist with more than 15 years of experience at LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, Louisiana. He has a reputation for excellence in quality and service.

As a faculty member, he conducts training sessions and collaborates with fellow colleagues in advancing technology. Dr. Gu is committed to furthering the understanding of renal-related disease processes via research.

Ashley Flowers, MD | Assistant Professor

Email: ashley.flowers@lsuhs.edu • Direct: 318-675-5808

Dr. Flowers graduated from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in Shreveport. She completed both her anatomic and clinical pathology residency training and her cytopathology subspecialty fellowship training at LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport.

She is board-certified by the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and in Cytopathology. Dr. Flowers is the Director of the Cytopathology division and the cytopathology fellowship program. Her research interests include the role of immunohistochemistry in the evaluation of renal neoplasms, as well as glomerulonephropathies.

Areli K. Cuevas-Ocampo, MD | Assistant Professor

Email: areli.cuevasocampo@lsuhs.edu • Direct: 318-675-5596

Dr. Cuevas-Ocampo is an Assistant Professor in the LSU Health Shreveport Department of Pathology, specializing in Neuropathology and in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology.

She completed her Neuropathology Fellowship at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and her Pathology (AP/CP) Residency at Baystate Medical Center/UMass Medical School. Before joining LSU Shreveport, she worked as a Consultant Neuropathologist at North Bristol NHS Trust in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Cuevas-Ocampo brings her diagnostic neuropathology expertise to Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport to deliver up-to-date surgical neuropathology reports, muscle and nerve biopsy interpretation, electron microscopy, and brain medical autopsy consultations for neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Cuevas-Ocampo has presented nationally and internationally, and is a member of numerous societies in Pathology and Neuropathology

Rusella Mirza, MD, PhD | Surgical Pathologist

Email: rusella.mirza@lsuhs.edu • Direct: (318) 675-8016

Dr. Mirza is a surgical pathologist and fellowship trained genitourinary (GU) and nephropathologist. She graduated from Rajshahi Medical College of Bangladesh and received her doctoral degree from Nagoya University School of medicine, Japan.

She completed her anatomic and clinical pathology residency training and GU/renal fellowship training from LSU Health Science center in Shreveport. She also worked as research fellow at NIH and university of Maryland.

At present her research interest is to identify therapeutic target molecules in prostate carcinoma.

Sally Barre, RN, BSN | Business Development Manager Pathology & Laboratory Services

Email: sally.barre@ochsnerlsuhs.org • Direct: (908) 377-0375

Sally earned her Bachelor’s Degree of Science at Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY and did a Nursing Surgical Internship at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, CT. She had a prominent publication titled, “Emotional Effects of Crohns Disease, featured in Nursing Magazine.

Prior to joining Ochsner LSU Health and LSU Health Shreveport, Sally has been marketing clinical laboratory testing, anatomic pathology and specialty lab testing for almost 30 years. She is a President’s Circle Awards recipient from both Quest Diagnostics and Bostwick Laboratories. She has held both Sales and Management positions throughout her career. Sally joined LSU Health Shreveport‘s academic caliber outreach laboratory team almost 8 years ago where she has been integral part of its tremendous growth & marketing development & managing prestigious health systems all over the country. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and has two adult daughters. She enjoys spending time with her family & friends including their beloved pet -therapy Shetland Sheepdog, Austin. Also spends free time traveling, skiing, golfing, bicycling, keeping active and listening to music.

Julia E. Williams | Business Development Manager Pathology & Laboratory Services

Email: Julia.Williams@ochsnerlsuhs.org • Direct: (318) 470-6332

Julia has a unique background within healthcare spanning almost 25 years. She started her career working directly with an immunologist and continued her work gaining experience within home health, rehabilitation therapy services, skilled nursing facilities and contract nursing.

Over the last seventeen years, Julia has worked as a consultant, specializing within cancer and research. Her range of work includes; oncology services (to include all sub-specialties), clinical/translational/basic research, faculty recruitment, population health, precision medicine, pathology, cell therapy, ambulatory operations, physician practice management to include JV’s, system strategy, leadership and executive network development.

Julia is an active member of several professional healthcare associations and sits on multiple committees related to education, development, and planning. She has served as an advisor within academia, NCI Designated Cancer Centers, Research Institutes and to CEO’s within the biotech & medical device industries. As a cancer survivor herself, she has a deep passion for our work in community outreach and anatomical pathology.