OUR TEAM
We are proud to have a diverse team of professionals with a range of backgrounds and skills, including safety professionals, occupational therapists, physical therapists, EMTs, and industrial hygienists. Each member of our team brings a unique perspective and skill set to our organization, allowing us to offer a comprehensive and integrated approach to occupational health and safety.
Our safety professionals have years of experience in the field of occupational, environmental and worker safety and are dedicated to ensuring that our clients’ workplaces are safe and compliant with industry standards and regulations. They work closely with our occupational therapists and physical therapists to identify and mitigate risks and hazards that could lead to workplace injuries and illnesses.
Our occupational therapists and physical therapists bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise in ergonomics, injury prevention, and rehabilitation. They work with clients to design and implement customized programs that help employees prevent and recover from workplace injuries and improve their overall health and well-being.
Our industrial hygienists specialize in identifying and mitigating environmental and occupational hazards that could impact employee health and safety. They conduct thorough inspections and assessments of client workplaces to identify potential hazards, such as exposure to toxic chemicals or unsafe working conditions, and work with our team to develop effective control measures to prevent and mitigate these risks.
Together, our team is committed to providing the highest level of safety services to our clients. We are dedicated to helping organizations create safe and healthy workplaces that promote employee well-being and productivity.
SPHM Team
Northwell Health
Erin DiCandia is a Physical therapist and currently a Program Manager for Northwell Workforce Safety with extensive experience in Safe Patient Handling and Mobility and Ergonomics.
She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from University of Buffalo and her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Touro college. She is also an adjunct professor at Touro College where she teaches first year students in a doctoral of physical therapy program.
Her main area of focus is on employee and patient safety within healthcare facilities. In her current role she oversees SPHM program development and sustainment and creates and provides education to health care providers.
Northwell Health
Timothy Lee is a workforce safety specialist for the Northwell Health system where he is a safe patient handling (SPH) liaison for ten acute care hospitals and works to promote musculoskeletal injury reduction through development of SPH & ergonomics program initiatives.
Timothy has a passion for education and has served as a teaching assistant at his alma mater Stony Brook University where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Health Science and Sociology and doctorate degree in Physical Therapy.
Timothy is also a lecturer at physical therapy programs raising awareness of SPH concepts to optimize patient outcomes while reducing injury risk in future healthcare professionals. Timothy maintains an interest in clinical excellence and continues to treat patients through telehealth using mechanical diagnosis and treatment (MDT) principles.
Northwell Health
Ruth Neuman Is a Physical Therapist with over 40 years of experience in patient care as well as education and training in areas such as acute care, skilled nursing, pediatrics, rehabilitation, outpatient and home care including Higher education within the university system. She is currently the Senior Ergonomist at Northwell Health servicing over 81, 000 employees and is part of the core team for development and implementation of safe patient handling education and training for over 28,000 team members.
She obtained her Bachelor’s in Science degree and Certificate in Physical Therapy from Simmons College and Master’s in Business Administration/ Health Administration from the University of Miami. She has taken extensive post graduate studies in education, statistics and is presently focusing on Ergonomics and Safe Patient Handling continuing education.
In Higher education, she has been an instructor and adjunct Professor for courses in Kinesiology, Physical Therapy Agents and Special Topics.
Since 2015, Ruth has developed and implemented online classes, hands on training, webinars and podium presentations on topics including Ergonomics, and Safe Patient Handling and Mobility.
Safety Team
Henry Clemmens serves as a Workforce Safety Specialist within the Workforce Safety Department of Northwell Health. He currently oversees the health systems Workplace Violence Prevention Program and is the Chairperson of the System Workplace Violence Committee. In this role he develops, implements, and educates on various workplace violence programs as well as trains new instructors throughout the health system. Henry has been certified as a New York State Paramedic since 1999 and has previously worked in that role for Northwell Health from 1999-2006.
Henry is retired from both the United States Army and Police Officer. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and an Executive Master’s in Business Administration. Additionally, he is certified Workplace Violence Prevention Specialist, and is board certified in Workplace Violence Prevention.
Maria Patilis is a Senior Manager for the Workforce Safety Department at Northwell Health System. Maria has a diverse background in Operations Management, Project Management, Budget Management, Events Management, Business Development and is currently enrolled at Stony Brook University and working towards her master’s in human resources.
Sandra Padilla is a Workforce Safety Specialist for Northwell Health. In her role as a Workforce Safety Specialist, she reviews Northwell Health’s Injury and Illness recordkeeping and works together with the Northwell Health team to ensure OSHA Injury and Illness recordkeeping compliance.
Sandra obtained her Bachelor of Science in Health Science with a concentration in Environmental, Health and Safety from Stony Brook University. She has a background in occupational safety training and industrial hygiene such as indoor air quality assessments, occupational noise exposure assessments, and respiratory protection.
Victor Poon is one of the Workforce Safety Specialists within the Workforce Safety Department of Northwell Health. As one of the Workforce Safety Specialists, Victor collaborates with internal partners to accomplish the goals and missions of the organization.
To accomplish these goals Victor coordinates with partners to develop and provide trainings in accordance with OSHA standards. Some of these interactive trainings include Formaldehyde, Hearing Conservation, and Lead Awareness. He manages strategies to assist in addressing Slip/Trip/Fall injuries in line with OSHA’s standard for Walking Working Surfaces. Victor also conducts assessments, performs injury/illness investigations, safety outreach, advances policies, and supports the action plans.
Victor earned his Bachelor of Science in Health Science, a Certified Healthcare Safety Professional (CHSP), certified Emergency Medical Technician and OSHA Authorized Construction Industry Trainer.
Evan Rousseau serves as a Director within the Workforce Safety Department of Northwell Health. He currently leads a team of safety professionals whose roles include Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Safety, Workplace Violence, Respiratory Protection and OSHA Recordkeeping. His team partners with internal clients to conduct a variety of OSHA required trainings and assessments to include Workplace Violence, Slip/Trip/Falls, and Indoor Air Quality.
An Industrial Hygienist by training, Evan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry, Master of Science in Information Systems and Master’s in Public Health. In addition, he is a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST) Certified Healthcare Safety Professional (CHSP) and an OSHA Authorized Construction Industry Trainer.