MASLD Team

Veeral Ajmera, MD

Dr. Veeral Ajmera is Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Medical Director of Liver Transplantation at the University of California, San Diego. He is a board-certified transplant hepatologist and cares for patients with acute and chronic liver disease. Dr. Ajmera completed Internal Medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard University and Gastroenterology and Transplant Hepatology fellowships at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). At UCSF he also completed a Master’s Degree Program in Clinical Research. Dr. Ajmera is a current member of the UCSD MASLD Research Unit where he collaborates with a multidisciplinary team of experts on research in non-invasive biomarkers, genetics and patient factors associated with disease severity and prognosis. He is a recipient of an American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Clinical and Translational Research Award and an NIDDK K23 Career Development Award for his work on the non-invasive assessment of patients with MASLD. He is a co-investigator for adult hepatology for the NIDDK-sponsored MASH Clinical Research Network and Liver Cirrhosis Network.

Monica Tincopa, MD, MSc

Dr. Monica Tincopa is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of California, San Diego. She is board certified in internal medicine, gastroenterology, transplant hepatology and obesity medicine. Dr. Tincopa obtained her medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She completed internal medicine residency at Johns Hopkins and Gastroenterology and Transplant Hepatology fellowships at the University of Michigan (UM). While at UM, Dr. Tincopa also obtained a Master's degree in Health and Healthcare Research. Her research interests involve health disparities and MASLD, with a specific focus on MASLD within the Hispanic/Latino population. Dr. Tincopa cares for patients with both acute and chronic liver disease and evaluates and cares for patients in need of liver transplantation. Dr. Tincopa is a current member of the UCSD MASLD Research Unit where she collaborates with experts on clinical risk prediction modeling and non-invasive testing for chronic liver disease as well as lifestyle interventions and optimization of metabolic conditions in liver disease. She is a recipient of an American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Clinical and Translational Research Award and a grant from Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Dr. Tincopa is a co-investigator for adult hepatology for the NIDDK-sponsored MASH Clinical Research Network.

Shang-Chin Huang

Dr. Shang-Chin Huang is a hepatologist and a clinical assistant professor at National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan. His research focuses on the interplay between chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), with an emphasis on viral replication, disease progression, and long-term clinical outcomes. He joined Dr. Rohit Loomba’s research team at UC San Diego as a visiting scholar to learn from the team’s expertise and contribute to cutting-edge research in noninvasive assessment and risk stratification in MASLD.

His work has been published in the Journal of Hepatology, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and The American Journal of Gastroenterology. He serves on the Emerging Leaders Committee of the Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology (APAGE) and contributed as a panel member to the clinical practice guidelines on CHB issued by the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL). His recent honors include the 2025 APASL Rising Star Award and the 2026 Ta-You Wu Memorial Award from Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council.

Outside of work, he enjoys reading history, boxing, and spending time with his wife and two young sons.

Yuri Cho

Dr. Yuri Cho, MD, PhD is a hepatologist and an associate professor at the National Cancer Center (NCC) Korea, specializing in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and targeted therapy. Her research focuses on liver cancer, chronic liver disease, precision medicine, systemic therapy for HCC, and metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).

She joined Dr. Rohit Loomba’s research team at UC San Diego as a visiting scholar to expand her research in MASLD and MASH, particularly in precision medicine, noninvasive biomarkers, and the links between metabolic liver disease, fibrosis, and liver cancer.

Dr. Cho serves as the overall secretary for the 2026 Korean Liver Cancer Association-NCC HCC Clinical Practice Guidelines and holds leadership roles in the Korean Liver Cancer Association and the Korean Association for the Study of the Liver. She is also an assistant editor for Clinical and Molecular Hepatology and the Journal of Liver Cancer.

Egbert Madamba, MD

Egbert has a Bachelors of Science in Chemistry and a Medical Doctorate degree. He joined the MASLD Research Center in 2018. He is interested in understanding the etiology and progression of MASH. Outside of the research setting, Egbert enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Paula Trusewicz, MPH

Alejandro Alvarez

Esraa Jaibaji

Rohan Loomba

Emely Battle

Ashwin Penchala

Anaid Perez-Peña

Alex Richter

Mary Dalupang

Mary received her B.A. in Statistics from UC Riverside in 2015. She joined the MASLD Research Center team in 2024. Mary supports the data and lab aspects of the research center. She enjoys reading, writing, sports and spending time with her family and pets. 

Seema Singh, PhD

Seema has her PhD in Biotechnology and recently joined Dr. Loomba's team in 2017. Seema ensures that research is conducted in accordance with study protocols, as well as federal, state, institutional and regulatory guidelines. As a coordinator, Seema's priority is to provide exceptional care to her study subjects.

Melanie Usher B.S.