Our interdisciplinary team approach brings a unique perspective to each project combining real world, academic and regulatory experience into one unified package. In addition to board certifications and university affiliations, staff members are experienced in testimony before government and legislative bodies, as well as regulatory development.
SOMA has assembled an outstanding staff of skilled professionals with certifications and advanced degrees in their respective fields, including:
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Medicine
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Toxicology
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Occupational Health Nursing
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Public Health
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Industrial Hygiene
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Environmental Science
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Ergonomics
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Safety
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Chemical Engineers
Howard M. Sandler, MD
President and Founder
Dr. Sandler has a long and distinguished career in regulation, health care delivery systems, research and problem solving in occupational and environmental health. Dr. Sandler founded Sandler Occupational Medicine Associates (SOMA) as a response to business’, labor’s and government’s need for quality, service-oriented approaches to address the many scientific, programmatic and regulatory issues across a broad range of problems in occupational and environmental health. Dr. Sandler has served as a Medical Officer with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). He has also consulted extensively with the EPA, OSHA, NIOSH and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, as well as state and local governmental agencies.
Richard S. Blume, MD, MPH, FACPM
Occupational Health Physician
Dr. Richard S. Blume is a residency-trained, board-certified specialist in occupational and environmental medicine. He holds degrees in medicine, public health and engineering. He has practiced at Sandler Occupational Medicine Associates, Inc. (SOMA) in this specialty and has held a variety of titles since 1991. He is licensed to practice medicine in New York State, and operates from SOMA’s New York area office. He is a fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine, and a member of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Dr. Blume received his postgraduate training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and served as a military medical officer prior to obtaining his residency in occupational medicine. He has experience in a broad range of areas pertaining to occupational and environmental health including: clinical occupational medicine, toxicology, regulatory compliance, medical standards development, workplace infectious disease protocol development/management, epidemiology, risk assessment, medical record review and analysis, and medical case management.
Priya Nagarajan, MEng, CIH
Director, Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology Division
Ms. Priya Nagarajan joined Sandler Occupational Medicine Associates (SOMA) in January 2003 as an Industrial Hygienist and was appointed Director, Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology Division in June 2006 to manage the industrial hygiene projects and programs for SOMA. Ms. Nagarajan is a Certified Industrial Hygienist with over 17 years of experience in recognizing, evaluating and controlling employees’ exposures to health hazards at their workplace. She has worked on multiple projects such as exposure assessments including on-site sampling for airborne contaminants and noise monitoring, indoor air quality projects, exposure modeling and trend analysis projects, developing Safety Data Sheets, hazards management, chemical safety training, quantitative risk assessments and research for various clients including, but not limited to, the aggregate industry,
small and large-scale manufacturing plants, commercial facilities, health care facilities, power plants and regulatory agencies.
Harry Hogan, MSPH, CIH
Staff Industrial Hygienist & Project Manager
Mr. Harry Hogan, joined Sandler Occupational Medicine Associates (SOMA) in September 2017 as a Staff Industrial Hygienist/Project Manager. Mr. Hogan has 20 years of experience in public health that includes anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, communicating and controlling employees’ exposures to health hazards at their workplace. Work tasks and duties have included and continue to include, performing and managing projects involving workplace physical and chemical exposure assessments that include on-site air sampling and noise monitoring, indoor air quality evaluations, preparing client proposals, creating statistical data exposure models, conducting peer reviews of collected data and reports, preparing and presenting industrial hygiene monitoring results, conducting training for multiple industrial and manufacturing clients, preparing summaries and reports of occupational exposures to chemicals retrospectively, and conducting researches of scientific literature related to health and safety issues. He has worked on projects with various clients including aggregate industry, manufacturing sites and office buildings.
Mauricio Alvarez, MES
Staff Industrial Hygienist
Mr. Mauricio Alvarez, joined Sandler Occupational Medicine Associates (SOMA) in October 2008 as a Staff Industrial Hygienist. Mr. Alvarez has over 10 years experience anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, communicating and controlling employees’ exposure to health hazards in the workplace. His projects involve workplace physical and chemical hazards exposure assessments in industrial sites, construction sites, surface and underground aggregate mines, residential sites, laboratories and office buildings. Work tasks and duties include performing on-site air sampling, noise monitoring, indoor air quality evaluations, preparing client proposals, providing technical and site training to new staff industrial hygienists, preparing and presenting industrial hygiene monitoring results, preparing summaries and reports of occupational exposures to chemicals retrospectively and conducting researches of scientific literature related to health and safety issues.
David Carter, MPH
Staff Industrial Hygienist
Mr. David Carter joined Sandler Occupational Medicine Associates (SOMA) in July 2014 as a Staff Industrial Hygienist. Mr. Carter has over 6 years experience anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, communicating and controlling employees’ exposure to health hazards in the workplace. Work tasks and duties include performing and managing projects involving workplace physical and chemical exposure assessments that include on-site air sampling and noise monitoring, indoor air quality evaluations, preparing client proposals, providing technical and site training to new staff industrial hygienists, reviewing and presenting industrial hygiene monitoring results to clients, preparing summaries and reports of occupational exposures to chemicals retrospectively and conducting researches of scientific literature related to health and safety issues. He has worked on projects with various clients including the aggregate industry, manufacturing sites, commercial sites and office buildings.
Brian Fulmer, GSP
Staff Industrial Hygienist & Project Manager
Mr. Brian Fulmer, GSP, joined Sandler Occupational Medicine Associates (SOMA) in October 2018 as a Staff Industrial Hygienist/Project Manager. Mr. Fulmer has 7 years of experience in the Occupational Safety, Health & Environmental disciplines, assisting management teams in their efforts associated with the development and implementation of effective programs that contribute to the safety of employees and impact the organization’s bottom line. Work tasks have involved industrial hygiene sampling including air sampling and noise monitoring, risk management, developing written programs and proposals and preparing written reports & correspondence. Mr. Fulmer has worked with organizations in a variety of industry sectors, including but not limited to, oil & gas, construction, manufacturing, mining, power generation, alternative energy, and insurance.
Kaitlyn Batka, MPH
Staff Industrial Hygienist
Ms. Kailyn Batka, joined Sandler Occupational Medicine Associates (SOMA) in December 2018 as a Staff Industrial Hygienist. Graduating with a Master’s in Public Health in May 2019, Ms. Batka is beginning her career in Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Health. Her prior experience in the health industry includes assisting the physician in medical procedures, obtaining patient’s history, and performing vitals as a certified nursing assistant from 2015 - 2018. Ms. Batka’s work tasks and duties include performing projects involving workplace physical and chemical hazards exposure assessments that include sampling for airborne contaminants and noise monitoring, retrieving and organizing exposure data and reviewing industrial hygiene monitoring results with clients.
Jessica Everett
Director, Occupational Health Division
Ms. Jessica Everett joined Sandler Occupational Medicine Associates (SOMA) in March 1991 as a Technical Specialist in Analysis and Research. Over the years, Ms. Everett’s position in the company has changed from Manager in the Analysis and Research Department, to Occupational Health Division Coordinator, and then subsequently in 2017 she was appointed Director of SOMA’s Occupational Health Division. Ms. Everett’s many duties as Director include, but are not limited to, managing relationships with clients, staff supervision and development, reviewing and improving business processes and providing guidance on the development of policies and procedures within the division.
Noreen Pickford, RN
Senior Occupational Health Specialist
Ms. Noreen Pickford joined Sandler Occupational Medicine Associates (SOMA) in September 2012. Ms. Pickford is a Senior Health Specialist and provides comprehensive occupational health services to major industries including construction, mines and quarries. Ms. Pickford’s work tasks and duties include monitoring medical evaluation programs, medical case management, resolving fitness for duty issues, medical surveillance and program development.
Debbie Eisemann, RN
Senior Occupational Health Specialist
Ms. Deborah Eisemann joined Sandler Occupational Medicine Associates (SOMA) in August 2013. Ms. Eisemann is a Senior Health Specialist and she provides comprehensive occupational health services to major industries including construction, mines and quarries. Ms. Eisemann’s work tasks and duties include monitoring medical evaluation programs, medical case management, resolving fitness for duty issues, medical surveillance, program development and reviewing a variety of exams including DOT, pre-placement, RTW, and fitness for duty exams.
Nicole Saunders, MBA
Occupational Health Specialist
Ms. Nicole Saunders joined Sandler Occupational Medicine Associates (SOMA) in February 2006. Ms. Saunders is an Occupational Health Specialist and provides comprehensive occupational health services to major industries including construction, mines and quarries. Ms. Saunders’ work tasks and duties include management of the Occupational Health Exam Management Program, training of both internal and external SOMAVIP users and assisting with the processing of examinations through completion.
Angelica Mott
Technical Specialist
Ms. Angelica Mott joined Sandler Occupational Medicine Associates (SOMA) in August 1999. Ms. Mott is a Technical Specialist in Analysis and Research. Ms. Mott provides case management for an array of litigation cases and projects with primary focus on toxic torts. These include asbestos, benzene, diacetyl, lead, multiple chemical sensitivity and mold. Ms. Mott’s role as SOMA’s designated client contact provides constant interaction, coordination, preparation and review of every aspect of a case or project including, but not limited to, legal documents, testimony, literature and reports.