Unmatched Specialty Expertise

Meet Our Team of Pathologists

Your MyPathAdvantage test results will be read by a PathAdvantage pathologist; a highly specialized medical doctor. We take accuracy and patient care very seriously, which is why we don't just rely on laboratory technicians or assistants. Meet our team of caring, capable pathologists.

Alexandra Gillespie, M.D.

Before she founded PathAdvantage, Medical Director Alexandra Gillespie, M.D. served as the director of cytology at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas with a subspecialty in gynecologic pathology. As a board-certified pathologist, Dr. Gillespie has devoted herself to pathology throughout her career and founded this clinic to advance the standard of health care for men and women.

Dr. Gillespie holds a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in Biology from the University of Southern California, where she also attended graduate school in Experimental Pathology. She received her medical doctorate from the University of California, Davis, and completed a residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at Baylor University Medical Center where she was Chief Resident in Pathology. After her residency Dr. Gillespie remained on the Pathology staff at Baylor and became Director of Cytology. Dr. Gillespie is a Fellow of the College of American Pathology and a Diplomate of the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology.

Richard Hopley, M.D.

Board-certified in both Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, Dr. Hopley serves as Associate Medical Director and Director of Clinical Pathology at PathAdvantage. Born in the United Kingdom, he pursued his lifelong dream of a medical career after arriving in the United States with a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Hull. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology in Florida and received his medical doctorate at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Subsequently, Dr. Hopley completed a Pathology residency at UT Southwestern and Parkland Hospital here in Dallas where he served as Chief Resident. He also completed a general surgical pathology fellowship with a significant emphasis in gynecologic pathology.

Maria Alvi, M.D.

Dr. Alvi moved from Karachi, Pakistan with her family as a child. She grew up in Houston and graduated summa cum laude with a major in Biology and a minor in Arts and Performance at the University of Texas at Dallas. Following her undergraduate studies, Dr. Alvi received her medical doctorate at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. She completed her residency and fellowship training at UT Southwestern and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas. And, subsequently, she completed a fellowship in cytology at UT Southwestern. Dr. Alvi is board-certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and Cytopathology.

Erika Fong, M.D.

Originally from Mexico, Dr. Fong earned her medical doctorate from the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, School of Medicine with honors. After medical school, she relocated to Houston where she undertook residency training in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at Baylor College of Medicine serving as Chief Resident. Subsequently, Dr. Fong completed a Fellowship in Surgical Pathology at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas.

After completing her fellowship, she worked in the Department of Pathology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas as an Assistant Professor from 2008-2010. She then joined Caris Life Sciences and worked in the area of molecular oncology — which specialized in performing molecular profiling of solid tumors for the personalized treatment of cancer — before joining PathAdvantage in 2013. Dr. Fong is board-certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology by the American Board of Pathology and specializes in the pathology of the endometrium.

Emily Gaston, M.D.

Dr. Gaston was born and raised in South Carolina. She received her Bachelor of Science from the University of South Carolina Honors College in 2000, graduating magna cum laude with a major in Biology. She then attended the University of South Carolina School of Medicine where she developed a keen interest in pathology and graduated with a Doctor of Medicine in 2006. Dr. Gaston then completed an Anatomic and Clinical Pathology residency at the University of Maryland Medical Center from 2006 to 2010, where she was chief resident. Due to her continued interest in women’s health, she pursued a fellowship in Gynecologic and Obstetric Pathology at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she was an Assistant Faculty member. There she studied under Dr. Robert Kurman and Dr. Brigette Ronnett, both renowned authors of numerous textbooks on Gynecologic Pathology. Dr. Gaston completed her fellowship in 2011 and has worked at high-volume private practices, dedicating herself to the field of Gynecologic and Obstetric Pathology. She has been a member of the International Society of Gynecological Pathologists since 2010.

Dr. Gaston relocated to Dallas with her family in 2022 and joined PathAdvantage to continue her steadfast interest in women’s health. She is board-certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and specializes in Gynecologic and Obstetric Pathology.

M. Clarissa Herrera, M.D.

Born in the Philippines and raised in Orlando, Dr. Herrera received her bachelor’s from Emory University in Atlanta, returning home to the University of South Florida for her M.D. degree. Dr. Herrera went back to Emory where she completed her Anatomic and Clinical Pathology residency where she was also Chief Resident. Subsequently, she completed a Dermatopathology Fellowship at Johns Hopkins. She is board-certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology as well as Dermatopathology. Dr. Herrera is excited to bring her dermatopathology expertise to our laboratory where she focuses on vulvovaginal diseases.

Alejandro Vargas, M.D.

Dr. Vargas was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame. He stayed at Notre Dame the following year to complete a Master’s in Technology Entrepreneurship, during which he worked on and provisionally patented an antibiotic resistance testing paper analytical device.

Dr. Vargas graduated from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, where he was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. He completed his Anatomic and Clinical Pathology Residency at New York University Langone Health, where he served as chief resident and was awarded the Herman Yee Teaching Award. Dr. Vargas went on to complete an Oncologic Surgical Pathology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, during which he was appointed chief fellow. He then returned to New York University Langone Health for a fellowship in cytopathology.

Dr. Vargas is a board-certified pathologist with a passion for innovation. He joined PathAdvantage to contribute to one of the world’s most successful cancer screening programs and to innovate technologies that are at the leading edge of scientific knowledge and development.