About OCT

Mission

The mission of the Office of Clinical Trials is to encourage and support investigators at Einstein and Montefiore in the conduct of clinical research by providing resources, expertise and best practices to facilitate efficient, compliant and ethical study conduct and management.

We strive to provide exceptional support to our physicians and to our community to foster better health outcomes for our patients and afford them access to state-of-the-art therapies and drugs.

We seek to attract novel, innovative and transformational research and devices to our medical center and its stakeholders, and serve as an easy partner giving industry sponsors access to our skilled investigators, our experienced study coordinators and our active and involved patient population.

History and Purpose

Opened in May 2011, the Office of Clinical Trials (OCT) serves Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in managing all aspects of clinical trials of pharmaceuticals and medical devices for both industry-sponsored and investigator-initiated studies.

We help build and negotiate budgets, craft contracts, and engage in business development. OCT is committed to serving the needs of our principal investigators (PIs) and their study coordinators as well as study sponsors, clinical research organizations (CROs), IRBs, regulatory agencies and patients.

Activating a trial is a major undertaking for the investigator and team, and we provide guidance, assistance and counsel to facilitate all steps from budget building to study initiation. We are committed to eliminating barriers, waits and delays in clinical research and recognize that investigators’ need for support does not end when subject enrollment begins. We search nationwide for trials and best practices to bring to our investigators, our Centers of Excellence and our patient community.

OCT Staff

Christina Rivera, Senior Director of Clinical Research Operations 
Dean’s Office and Office of Clinical Trials
Christina.Rivera@einsteinmed.Edu

Fatima Bautista, Senior Research Contract Specialist  
Contracts
Complion eRegulatory System
FBAUTIST@montefiore.org

Nicole Faraci, Business Analyst
Velos Calander Developer
nfaraci@montefiore.org

Vivian Nwaogbe, Senior Financial Analyst
Budget Negotiation
vnwaogbe@montefiore.org

Feba George, Financial Research Analyst
Greenphire Clincard Administration
fegeorge@montefiore.org

Amrish Patel, Project Manager
Post-Award Financials (Sponsors A – H)
Velos Clinical Trial Management System
amrpatel@montefiore.org

Tanisha Thakurdeen, Project Manager
Post-Award Financials (Sponsors I – Z)
Velos Clinical Trial Management System
tthakurdee@montefiore.org

Edward Borukhov, Research Compliance Specialist
Billing Compliance and Quality Assurance
eborukho@montefiore.org

K. Zoe Tsagaris, MS, OTR/L, CCRP Director, Clinical Research Resources
Study Opportunities and Recruitment Resources
zoe.tsagaris@einsteinmed.edu

Donna Joseph
Financial Closeout
Donjoseph@Montefiore.org