2024 Baton Awards Recognize Five CUIMC Administrators
Columbia University Irving Medical Center has honored five staff members with 2024 Baton Awards that recognize team players who contribute to the overall success of the medical center.
While many awards recognize individual achievements, the Baton Awards highlight the importance of teamwork in contributing to accomplishments throughout CUIMC. The awards were created in 2009 to recognize individuals who “go the extra distance to make sure that if a teammate fumbles, they are there to catch the baton and who trust their colleagues to take the baton from them when they pass it along, understanding that any success is a shared one.”
The 2024 awards were presented at the Dec. 4 meeting of the CUIMC Administrators Network.
John Biggs
Associate Director of Facilities Compliance, CUIMC Facilities Management
John Biggs began his career at CUIMC in the mid-1990s as a security officer at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. He joined Columbia University in 2011 as a public safety sergeant and was promoted several times before accepting his current position as associate director in Spring 2022. His typical workday involves walking project sites to ensure safety measures are in place and training facilities frontline staff for their roles with safety training modules he customizes, all while being ready to run to emergencies. He also serves as one of CUIMC’s Fire Life Safety Directors.
Carlos Correa
Director of Student Enrollment Services, Mailman School of Public Health
Carlos Correa has served with the Office of Student Affairs since 2013 and currently serves as the director for student enrollment services. He has supported nearly all major functions provided by the office, including communications, student club advisement, academic advisement, record keeping, orientation, graduation, and more. In his role, Correa draws on his previous experience in admissions, recruitment, working with international ESL students, large-scale event planning, and multi-semester academic programming.
Janice Rafferty Grady
Associate Dean of Development & Alumni Relations, School of Nursing
Janice Grady joined the School of Nursing more than 11 years ago as a director and she advanced to associate dean, managing the development and alumni relations team. Most recently Grady led the development of Columbia Nursing's “The Leaders We Need” campaign, a $30 million fundraising campaign that is set to make or exceed its goal when it ends in 2025. Overall, commitments from donors to the School of Nursing were up 118% in the past year, in part owing to Grady’s stewardship among donors and alumni.
Steven Harris
Administrative Director, Cariology & Restorative Sciences, College of Dental Medicine
Steven Harris joined the College of Dental Medicine in 1996 as an administrative coordinator in the Section of Adult Dentistry. In 2013, Harris was promoted to section administrator and later to his current role as administrative director and leader within the College and the Section of Cariology & Restorative Sciences. In this capacity he oversees critical operations, including managing faculty coverage assignments, emergency services in the Vanderbilt Teaching Clinic, budget management, financial reconciliations, and the smooth functioning of daily operations across the section. Additionally, Steven plays a key role throughout the section in faculty recruitment, promotions, and managing relationships with external vendors.
Monica Prabudoss
Department Administrator/Chief Financial Officer, Radiation Oncology/Medical Humanities & Ethics/Stem Cell Initiative, Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons
Monica Prabudoss joined the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in 2018 and currently serves as department administrator/chief finance officer for the Department of Radiation Oncology, the Department of Medical Humanities and Ethics, and the Columbia Stem Cell Initiative. Over the past year, she has also served in interim administrative leadership roles for the medical education office and the Departments of Molecular Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Psychiatry, assisting these teams during periods of transition. Previously Prabudoss served as the director of business development, innovation, and strategy in the dean’s office, where she focused on establishing new departments and leading financial turnaround efforts.
