Research Administration Team

Devon Bhagwandin, M.P.A., received his master's degree in public administration from the City College of New York Colin Powell School for Civil and Global Leadership. A specialist in both pre and post-award activities, Bhagwandin's experience spans various sectors, including non-governmental organizations, patient accounts, and grants management.

Xiaoai (Iris) Chen, Ph.D., received her doctorate in a joint program from Fudan University (Shanghai, China) and Yale University. With a wealth of grants administration experience, Dr. Chen assists faculty members in securing research support, effectively managing their portfolios, and navigating research-related policies. 

Eli Figueroa received his B.S. from Johnson & Wales University. Figueroa plays a crucial role in overseeing financial operations, including planning, budgeting, reporting, compliance, and grant management. 

Katherine France-Prouvoste, M.S., C.R.A., received a B.A. from New York University (NYU), a second B.A. from Columbia University, her master's degree from NYU, and her certification of research administration from the Research Administrators Certification Council. Providing the full range of pre and post-award-sponsored projects administration, France-Prouvoste works closely with principal investigators within the Division of Neuroradiology, the Division of Body Imaging, the Brain Health Imaging Institute, the Center for Research on End-of-Life Care, the Dalio Institute of Cardiovascular Imaging, and the Imaging Data Evaluation & Analysis Laboratory. She also manages an interdisciplinary portfolio of grant and contract awards from the National Institutes of Health, federal entities, and both foundation and industry sponsors. 

Julian Garza received his B.A. from the University of Houston. With a creative and analytical skillset, Garza serves as a resource to faculty for pre and post-award research grant activities. 

Cristina Torres received her B.S. from John Jay Community College. Torres has been working at Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) for over nine years, previously with the Department of Genetic Medicine. Before WCM, she worked in finance at Pfizer and Jones Long LaSalle. 

Sainabou Touray, M.S., received her B.S. from Howard University and her master's degree in research administration from Johns Hopkins University. Beginning her career at Howard University, Touray made significant contributions to the institution's research initiatives; this experience led her to Johns Hopkins University, where she continued to excel in subaward management. At Weill Cornell Medicine, Sainabou, a domestic and international subaward management specialist, oversees subaward administration, ensuring seamless and efficient research collaborations. 

Erica Umberger-Azzarà, C.R.A., received her B.S. from King's College and her certificate of research administration from the Research Administrators Certification Council. After beginning her research administration career at the Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) Office of Sponsored Research Administration, Umberger-Azzarà moved to Doha, Qatar , to build a grants office from scratch  at Sidra Medical and Research Center, an affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, Qatar. While there, she worked closely with principal investigators (PIs) from around the world, an experience that not only deepened her knowledge of research but also helped international PIs grow their portfolios while navigating the U.S. research model. After supporting clinical-team research at George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates, Umberger-Azzarà now oversees a grant administration team at WCM and manages her own varied investigator portfolio.