Formal Investiture Ceremony Held Xin Gu, MD and Quhui ‘Jim’ Zhai, MD, FACP at William R Mathews Pathology Lecture

Dr. Gu is the holder of the W.R. Mathews, MD Endowed Professorship in Anatomic Pathology. Dr. Zhai is the holder of the Albert G. and Harriet G. Smith Endowed Professorship in Pathology.

October 26, 2023

Pictured left to right: Dr. Zhai, Dr. Cotelingam, and Dr. Gu

On Wednesday, October 25, 2023 the LSU Health Shreveport Department of Pathology and Translational Pathobiology held the annual W.R. Mathews Pathology Lecture. This year’s featured speaker was Qihui ‘Jim’ Zhai, MD, FACP, Chairman of the Department of Pathology and Translational Pathobiology and President-Elect of the College of American Pathologists. 

The W.R. Mathews Lecture is made possible by an endowed professorship established by the Medical Center Clinics in honor of the late Dr. Mathews, who served as Chief of Pathology of the Shreveport Charity Hospital. The endowment enhances the academic mission and image of the Anatomic Pathology Division of the Department of Pathology through this annual lecture and increased funding for residents and fellows.

During the event, the formal investiture ceremony was held for Dr. Gu as the new holder of the William R. Mathews Endowed Professorship. Dr. Gu is a Professor of Pathology and Translational Pathobiology. The event also took time to recognize the previous holder of the professorship, Dr. James Cotelingam, Gratis Professor of Pathology and Translational Pathobiology. 

The formal investiture ceremony was also held for Dr. Zhai as the holder of the Albert G. and Harriet G. Smith Endowed Professorship in Pathology. This endowment was established by the late Dr. and Mrs. Smith to enhance the academic mission and image of the Department of Pathology. Dr. and Mrs. Smith’s children, Alan Smith and Susan Erba, were in attendance. Dr. Smith served as the first Chair of Pathology at LSU Health Shreveport.

About Dr. Zhai

Dr. Zhai comes to LSU Health Shreveport from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Jacksonville, Florida, where he served as a Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. He brings a wealth of experience as a consultant pathologist, Director of Research, and Founder and Medical Director of the FISH and Molecular Laboratory in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic Florida. Dr. Zhai has also contributed to various institutional committees during his tenure there.

Internationally renowned as a surgical pathologist, Dr. Zhai is frequently sought after as a national speaker in several subspecialties, including Head and Neck, Thyroid, GU, and Diagnostic and Prognostic Immunohistochemistry. His research focuses on integrating morphology, immunohistochemistry, and liquid biopsy with clinical relevance, translating emerging molecular advances into diagnostic and therapeutic guidance for everyday practice.

Dr. Zhai is a prolific author, with over 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts and research abstracts to his credit. He has authored and edited nine major pathology textbooks covering a wide range of topics in diagnostic pathology and quality management. As the editor-in-chief of “Grossing, Staging, and Reporting: An Integrated Manual of Modern Surgical Pathology” and co-editor-in-chief of “Quality Management in Anatomic Pathology: Strategies for Assessment, Improvement, and Assurance,” both published by the College of American Pathologists (CAP). Furthermore, he serves as a section and leading editor in highly regarded pathology journals, such as Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

Dr. Zhai is an esteemed national leader and passionate advocate within the pathology community. His leadership efforts have made a significant impact on pathology education, laboratory quality, and best practices in surgical pathology. He served on The Education Committee of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, the Test Development and Advisory Committee of the American Board of Pathology and held the position of immediate past president of the Florida Society of Pathologists (FSP). Within CAP, a major national organization for pathologists, Dr. Zhai has held several leadership roles, including his second term on the Board of Governors, Chair of the Investment Committee, Vice-Chair of the Councils of Membership and Professional Development, Accreditation, and Scientific Affairs, and Finance Committee. He also acts as an advisor to the Resident Forum Executive Committee. Dr. Zhai’s exceptional contributions have led to his nomination by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Nomination Committee and Members’ Petition, with an endorsement from the FSP Board of Directors, for the position of CAP President-elect for the term 2023-205.

Dr. Zhai obtained his MD degree from Shandong University Medical School in China and pursued his Graduate studies at Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing. He completed his pathology residency at Mayo Clinic Rochester and an oncologic pathology fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

About Dr. Gu

Dr. Gu finished his pathology residency training at LSU Health Shreveport in June, 2001. After that, he did one-year renal pathology fellowship at LSU Health Shreveport. Prior to the pathology residency, he was involved in basic research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). At UAB, his research work focused on cellular second messenger pathways and disease development. At LSU Health Shreveport, his service and research focused on renal pathology and surgical pathology. His areas of speciality include: Electron Microscopy, Endocrine Pathology, Immunopathology and Tumor Markers (kidney), Male GU Pathology, OB/GYN Pathology, Renal Pathology, Surgical Pathology, and Urologic Pathology

About Dr. Cotelingam

Dr. Cotelingam’s training is in Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology and Hematology (Pathology). He has 40 years of experience in Pathology, and has served in Medical Missions, Community Medicine, Military Medicine, and in University settings. In 1997 he retired from the U.S. Navy and joined the Department of Pathology and Translational Pathiobiology at LSU Health Shreveport.

His primary service and research interest is in morphologic hematopathology. He participates in the daily sign-out of cases (bone marrow, lymph node, and other tissues with hematopoietic and lymphoreticular disease), which are conducted at a consensus conference with residents, fellows, and staff in Hematopathology and Molecular Pathology. He enjoys the interaction and teaching involved in making diagnoses that are arrived at by integrating routine techniques, immunohistochemistry, cytochemistry, immunophenotyping, cytogenetics, and molecular genetic studies.

To learn more about endowed giving at LSU Health Shreveport, please call the LSU Health Sciences Foundation at 318-861-0855.