Lab Members

Perla Hernandez is a UCLA graduate fluent in English and Spanish, and proficient in Portuguese, with over four years of clinical research experience. At Cedars-Sinai, she oversees the Yang Lab’s daily research operations, manages study budgets, regulatory submissions and supports study startup. She ensures compliance, coordinates audits and contributes to the successful conduct of multiple clinical trials.

Osama Khattab, MD, is a Clinical Research Data Specialist I at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He earned his medical degree from the Alexandria School of Medicine in 2024 and joined the Yang Lab in July 2025. His work focuses on coordinating clinical trials, managing research data, and supporting clinical and academic studies through data collection, chart review, and patient eligibility screening. He also contributes to academic projects and selected experimental activities that support the lab’s research mission.

Ashley Kim earned her bachelor's degree in molecular, cell and developmental biology from UCLA and joined the Yang Lab in April 2025. She supports multiple clinical research studies through participant screening, eligibility review and recruitment, and assists with communication with Korean-speaking participants. She also contributes to collaborative academic projects through detailed chart review, data analysis and manuscript development. Her work contributes to scientific publications and collaborative research efforts across the lab.

Naomy Kim earned her bachelor’s degree in nutrition and a master’s degree in bioethics from Case Western Reserve University. She joined the lab in 2022 and plays a key role in prescreening for Ju Dong Yang, MD, and his colleagues’ ongoing research studies. She is fluent in Korean and supports communication with Korean-speaking study participants. In addition to supporting participant recruitment and eligibility assessment, Kim assists with data collection, data entry, and manuscript preparation for collaborative academic projects with research institutions worldwide, contributing to ongoing publications.

Colin Le received his bachelor's degree in chemistry, with a minor in economics, from Harvard University. He joined the Yang Lab in 2026, where he supports clinical research studies through patient recruitment, study coordination and sample processing. He also contributes to accurate data collection and management across clinical studies and academic research projects. He works closely with patients, physicians, principal investigators, regulatory specialists and study monitors to support study operations.

Daniel Marco Legaspi, MD, earned his medical degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in 2021. He joined the Yang Lab at Cedars-Sinai in March 2025, where he coordinates clinical interventional trials in hepatology oncology. He has extensive experience managing Phase I–III interventional studies in both pharmaceutical and medical device research, collaborating closely with industry sponsors.

Monserrat Marquez received her bachelor’s degree in molecular, cellular and developmental biology from Yale University. She joined the Yang Lab in 2022 and contributes to various studies by running patient visits, maintaining accurate records in study binders and EDC, and preparing for study monitoring visits.

Chang Hun Lee, MD, PhD, is an associate professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Jeonbuk National University Medical School and Jeonbuk National University Hospital. His clinical and research interests focus on chronic liver diseases and hepatocellular carcinoma. Currently, he serves as a visiting scholar in Dr. Ju Dong Yang's lab at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, collaborating on clinical outcomes research and large-scale data analyses related to liver disease and liver cancer.

Jihye Lim, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at The Catholic University of Korea. Her clinical and research expertise focuses on chronic liver diseases and liver cancer. Currently, she serves as a visiting scholar in Dr. Ju Dong Yang's lab at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, collaborating on clinical outcomes and risk prediction modeling for liver disease and liver cancer.