Pathology & Lab Science

Introduction

The Department of Pathology at AIIMS Bilaspur was established in 2021. Since its inception, it has grown into a comprehensive center for hematology, histopathology, cytology, and oncopathology. With rapidly growing diagnostic labs and 24x7 emergency lab services, the department is committed to excellence in diagnostics, teaching, and research.

Vision Statement

To establish the Department of Pathology as a center of excellence in diagnostic pathology, oncopathology, molecular diagnostics, and translational research, delivering high-quality, accurate, and timely laboratory services while advancing education, innovation, and patient-centered healthcare for the region and the nation.

Mission Statement

The Department of Pathology aims to:

  • Provide accurate, timely, and high-quality diagnostic services in histopathology, cytopathology, hematology, and clinical pathology to support optimal patient care.
  • Develop advanced diagnostic capabilities including immunohistochemistry, molecular pathology, and digital pathology.
  • Promote high-quality medical education and training for undergraduate students, postgraduate residents, and allied health professionals.
  • Foster innovative research in oncopathology, molecular diagnostics, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence in pathology.
  • Collaborate with clinical departments and research institutions to enable multidisciplinary patient management and translational research.
  • Contribute to regional cancer diagnostics and public health initiatives through standardized reporting, quality assurance, and outreach programs.

Faculty

S.No Photo Name & Qualification Designation Area of Interest Email ID / Research-Gate Page
1 Dr Manu Priya Dr Manu Priya
MD (Pathology), DNB		 Additional Professor & Head Oncopathology,
Pulmonary Pathology,
Gynaecologic Pathology,
Molecular Pathology,
Digital Pathology		 dr.manupriya.patho@aiimsbilaspur.edu.in
2 Dr Gurwinder Kaur Dr Gurwinder Kaur
MD (Pathology), DNB,
PDCC Neuropathology		 Associate Professor Dermatopathology,
Neuropathology,
Oncopathology,
Digital Pathology		 dr.gurwinder.patho@aiimsbilaspur.edu.in
3 Dr Reetika Sharma Dr Reetika Sharma
MD (Pathology)		 Associate Professor Genitourinary Pathology,
Renal Pathology,
GIT Pathology,
Digital Pathology		 dr.reetika.patho@aiimsbilaspur.edu.in
4 Dr Tarunpreet Saini Dr Tarunpreet Saini
MD (Pathology),
PDCC Cytopathology		 Assistant Professor Cytopathology,
Artificial Intelligence in Pathology,
Gynecologic Pathology,
Molecular Pathology,
Endocrine Pathology (Thyroid)		 dr.tarunpreet.patho@aiimsbilaspur.edu.in
tanupath3@gmail.com
5 Dr Aparna Valsan Dr Aparna Valsan
MD, DNB		 Assistant Professor Oncopathology,
Hematopathology,
Head & Neck Pathology		 dr.aparna.patho@aiimsbilaspur.edu.in

Services

The services are being carried out under the following sections:

HAEMATOLOGY & FLOWCYTOMETRY
The Hematology section offers comprehensive blood analysis, focusing on diagnosing blood disorders, including anemias and malignancies.

  • Complete Blood Count (CBC)
  • Blood Film Morphology
  • Reticulocyte Count
  • ESR
  • PT
  • APTT
  • D-Dimer
  • Lupus Anticoagulant
  • Bone Marrow Examination (Aspiration & Biopsy)
  • Hb-HPLC
  • Flow Cytometry (For Leukaemia, Lymphoma & TBNK)
  • 24x7 Haematology Emergency Lab Services

CYTOPATHOLOGY LAB
Cytopathology focuses on examining cells from various body sites to detect cancer and precancerous conditions, infectious diseases, and other benign disorders.

  • Direct and Guided FNA
  • Fluid Cytology (TLC / DLC & Malignant Cytology)
  • Cervical Pap Smears (LBC)
  • Cell Blocks
  • Review Cytology Cases
  • Urine Microscopy
  • Semen Analysis
  • ROSE Services for Direct & Guided FNA are provided regularly

HISTOPATHOLOGY & IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY LAB
Histopathology and Immunohistochemistry division provides detailed tissue analysis, identifying pathological conditions through microscopic examination.

  • Biopsy (Small & Large Cases)
  • Frozen Sections
  • Review Histopathology Cases
  • Immunohistochemistry (Dedicated Oncology Panels)
  • Medico-Legal Autopsies

Courses

S.No Course Offered Total Seats
1 MD Pathology 2 / Year
2 MBBS 100
3 BSc MLT 10 / Year
4 BSc Nursing -

Research

  1. Sharma M, Kumari K, Navpreet N, Bharti S, Kumari R. Attitudes toward artificial intelligence in pathology: a survey-based study of pathologists in northern India. J Pathol Transl Med. 2025;59(6):382-389.
  2. Sharma M, Meyes D, Bharti S, Sharma C, Kumar C, Kumar S. Intraoperative Decision-Making: A Comparative Analysis of Scrape Cytology vs. Frozen Section in Eighty Consecutive Samples. J Cytol. 2025;42(2):75-81.
  3. Sushma B, Renu S, Manupriya S, Potdar P. Assessment of Risk of Malignancy Using the Sydney System for Reporting Head and Neck Lymph Node Cytopathology: An Institutional Experience. Diagn Cytopathol. 2026;54(2):125-134.
  4. Sharma M, Singh R, Marwaha P, Myes D, Malik N. Xanthogranulomatous Salpingo Oophoritis as a Rare Presentation in Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. Cureus. 2024;16(2):e53693.
  5. Bharti S, Sharma M, Malik N, Myes D, Marwaha P. Primary Ovarian Pregnancy: A Case Report With a Review of the Literature. Cureus. 2024;16(3):e56688.
  6. Kumari N, Sharma M, Kaul R, Raina S. Cytomorphological comparison of alcohol-formalin cell-block technique with conventional cytology in serous effusions in a low-resource setting. Trop Doct. 2024;54(4):346-351.
  7. Badhwar A, Thakur M, Chopra S, Rana L, Sharma M. Primary Retroperitoneal Mucinous Cystadenocarcinoma in Males: A Case Report. Cureus. 2025;17(10):e95765.
  8. Choudhary R, Negi R, Kaur D, Sharma M, Kasotya D, Dwajan A. Primary Bone Lymphoma of the Tibia Mimicking Chronic Osteomyelitis: A Case Report. J Orthop Case Rep. 2025;15(11):143-149.
  9. Sharma C, Sharma M, Kapoor V, Verma T, Soni A, Verma S. A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Ferric Carboxy-Maltose With Iron Sucrose Complex for Postpartum Iron-Deficiency Anemia. Cureus. 2025;17(9):e93076.
  10. Sharma M, Sachdeva MU, Bose P, Varma N, Varma S, Marwaha RK, Malhotra P. Haematological profile of patients with mixed-phenotype acute leukaemia from a tertiary care centre of north India. Indian J Med Res. 2017;145(2):215-221.
  11. Myes D, Kumar C, Saini T. Symptomatic adrenal endothelial cyst in a young female. Surgical and Experimental Pathology. 2025;8(1):21.
  12. Kumar B, Chandel K, Saini T, Kumar C, Bhat N. A Rare Manifestation of Chronic Pancreatitis: Cutaneous and Intraperitoneal Panniculitis. Tropical Gastroenterology. 2025;46(3):128-130.
  13. Saini PS, Aggarwal A, Saini T. Differentiation of antimicrobial toxicity and sepsis-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation in an orthopedic burn patient in India: a case report. Journal of Trauma and Injury. 2024;38(1):44.
  14. Saini T, Kundu R, Rohilla M, Gupta P, Gupta N, Srinivasan R, Saikia UN, Dey P. Gray zone Bethesda category III lesions of thyroid: image morphometry as adjunct to cytomorphology. CytoJournal. 2024;21:38.
  15. Saini T, Sharma M. Immunohistochemical expression of PD-L1 in esophageal carcinoma and its correlation with histopathological features. Journal of Pathology of Nepal. 2024;14(1):2138-42.
  16. Saini T, Jain S, Narang T, Yadav R, Rastogi P. Bridging dermatology and hematology: lepromatous leprosy with bone marrow involvement and pancytopenia. Journal of Hematopathology. 2024;17(4):251-254.
  17. Venkataramn S, Ur Rahman N, Sharma J, Bhagat A, Valsan A. Hepatic Mesenchymal Hamartoma with Elevated Alpha-Fetoprotein: A Diagnostic Dilemma. Cureus. 2024;16(11):e74791.
  18. Saini T, Saikia UN, Dey P. Artificial neural network for prediction of malignancy risk in category III Bethesda thyroid lesions. Cytopathology. 2023;34(1):48-54.
  19. Saini T, Bansal B, Dey P. Digital cytology: Current status and future prospects. Diagnostic Cytopathology. 2023;51(3):211-218.
  20. Kumari A, Kumar M, Thakur M, Singh CAK, Dogra P, Sharma R. A rare case of invasive endometriosis of sigmoid colon incidental finding in tubo-ovarian endometriosis. International Surgery Journal. 2026;13(3):476-479.
  21. Choudhary R, Sharma R, Dwajan A, Roy M. Synovial chondromatosis of the peroneal tendon sheath presenting as painless ankle swelling. BMJ Case Rep. 2025;19(1):e269551.
  22. Sharma A, Sharma R, Bala J, Sharma M. Malignant perivascular epithelioid cell tumor of ovary: a rare case report. J Midlife Health. 2025;16(1):107-109.
  23. Chaudhary A, Sharma SK, Sharma N, Sharma R, Lal M. Diagnostic accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology of bone lesions: A tertiary care institute study. J Cancer Res Ther. 2024;20(1):133-138.

Projects

S.No Title Investigator Funding Agency Project Status
1 To illustrate how miR-2909 RNomics governs TGFb signalling cascade in Human Prostate Cancer. (Technically approved by ICMR, Funded). Dr Gurwinder Kaur (Co-Inv) ICMR Ongoing
2 Transcriptomic Profiling of Alopecia Areata: A Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Approach to Elucidate Pathogenesis. Dr Gurwinder Kaur (Co-Inv) IADVL Ongoing
3 A Clinical, Dermoscopic and Immunohistochemical Study of Extrafacial Melasma in Skin of Color Dr Gurwinder Kaur (Co-Inv) Pigmentary Disorder Society Ongoing
4 A randomized control trial comparing ferric carboxymaltose versus oral iron in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in post-partum women. Dr Manu Priya (Co-Inv) Intramural (AIIMS Bilaspur) Ongoing
5 Feasibility of community cervical cancer screening program based on home-based HPV self-sampling in a hilly region of North India: A mixed method study Dr Manu Priya (Co-Inv) Intramural (AIIMS Bilaspur) Ongoing
6 Frozen Section vs Scrape Cytology in Intraoperative Consultation – A Comparative Analysis Dr Manu Priya (PI) Non-Funded Completed
7 Comparative Analysis of Plasma Thrombin and Sodium Alginate Cell Block in Serous Effusions Dr Manu Priya (PI) Non-Funded Ongoing
8 Assessment of Quality Standards and Diagnostic Practices in Surgical Pathology Laboratories Across Medical Colleges in Northern India: A Questionnaire-Based Study Dr Manu Priya (PI) Non-Funded ISRAC Approved
9 Incremental Value of Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology in Refining ACR TI-RADS Based Risk Stratification of Thyroid Nodules Dr Tarunpreet (PI) Non-Funded ISRAC Approved
10 Prospective analysis of sodium-iodine symporter (NIS) expression and correlation with treatment outcomes in papillary thyroid carcinoma patients Dr Aparna Valsan (Co-Inv) Intramural (AIIMS Bilaspur) Ongoing
11 Evaluation of Ki-67 and GATA3 Expression in Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder and correlation with tumor grade and stage Dr Reetika Sharma (PI) Non-Funded ISRAC Approved
12 To study prognostic significance of 3 month serum PSA level after initiating androgen deprivation therapy in metastatic prostate cancer: A retrospective and prospective cohort study Dr Reetika Sharma (Co-Inv) Non-Funded ISRAC Approved

Expansion Plan

S.No Collaboration For Collaboration with Department / Institute Services Offered / Work Under Collaboration
1 Advanced Oncopathology Diagnostics Department of Surgical Oncology / Medical Oncology Development of comprehensive cancer diagnostic services including IHC panels and molecular markers.
2 Molecular Pathology & Genomics National Cancer Grid Implementation of NGS-based testing, molecular workup, and FISH.
3 Digital Pathology & AI IITs / IIT Mandi / AI Research Groups Establishment of digital slide scanning, telepathology, and AI-assisted diagnostic tools.
4 Regional Cancer Diagnostics Network Regional Medical Colleges and District Hospitals Development of regional oncopathology services and standardized cancer reporting.
5 Research & Training National and International Academic Institutions Collaborative research projects, fellowships, and training programs.