Meet Our Team

Pam has spent almost fifteen years working in senior care including long term care facilities and home health care. Her higher education is in Social Work, she has been credentialed as both a certified Geriatric Care Manager and Licensed Assisted Living Administrator, and she is a member of the National Association of Professional Gerontologists.

She has spent years counseling seniors and their families and connecting them with the resources they need. Pam believe in a team approach, that it takes a “village” to promote the health and welfare of seniors in the community. In 2013 she opened Allegiance with the primary goal of providing support and guidance to seniors who want to age in place in their homes. Although she is a certified care manager, she focuses on the operations of her business and does not practice in that capacity. It is her belief that seniors should have a choice in where and how they want to live as they age and should be able to do so in a happy and healthy way!

Dr. Yirga is a board certified internist known for expert clinical assessment and a collaborative, holistic approach to patient care. Experienced in hospital, rehabilitation, nursing home and assisted living care, she was drawn to the geriatric field because of her caring personality and desire to help seniors achieve the highest quality of life possible. She has been providing direct home medical care since 2013, enabling seniors to live independently by bringing the care they need to the comfort of their own homes. She is recognized by her patients for being on the cutting edge of medicine and being their “Guardian Angel.” She makes herself readily accessible to meet the needs of her patients. Dr. Yirga oversees our home care services and leads our team of Medical Professionals.

Christine has significant diverse experience in the healthcare field including caregiving, medical billing and coding, and assisted living management experience. She is certified as a Registered Medication Aide, Direct Care aide and Certified Dementia Practitioner. She was recruited, specifically hand-picked by our President because working together in a previous capacity Pam found Christine’s dedication and compassion for the residents remarkably impressive. Christine handles the daily operations for Allegiance.

Eric has an educational background in Psychology and Business Administration. After a personal experience with Alzheimer’s Disease, Eric embarked on a career in the field of elder care. For the past several years, he worked specifically with those affected by cognitive impairments and their caregivers in the Northern Virginia area. During that time, Eric helped plan education programs for caregivers ranging from small environments to larger conferences for over 300 attendees. He is passionate about helping those in the aging community and has served on the Board for the Loudoun Senior Interest Network since 2016.

Noelia has been working in the senior care field going on ten years. She prides herself in knowing the industry well and continues to expand her knowledge through courses and training. She has as true passion for helping others and develops instant personal connections with both caregivers and clients alike. When asked why she loves her job she states “I love getting to know my clients so that I can match with the right caregivers and see the smiles on their faces. It is a very rewarding experience.”

Catherine’s parents had seven children and she’s the youngest. She developed her love of taking care of people since age 5; after helping her parents with a family friend, “Pop Pop”. After Catherine graduated high school she spent some time working in the Business Administration field, but she had a calling to become a nurse and help people in her community. Since becoming a nurse, Catherine has experience in cardiology, internal medicine and geriatric nursing. She has 5+ years of experience managing adult Memory Care units in assisted living. She has enjoyed every aspect of her nursing career and uses her well rounded background to her advantage in understanding her client’s needs. Catherine is dedicated in making a difference in people’s lives. When not working, Catherine enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and loves her rescued animals. Catherine believes that anyone can accomplish anything as long as they put their mind to it.

Dr. Rajdeep Parmar, DO is an internal medicine specialist and has been practicing for 21 years. He graduated from Des Moines Univ Coll Of Osteopathic Medicine & Surgery in 1997. He specializes in diagnosing and treating cross-system illnesses that may affect multiple organ systems. He has extensive experience working with elderly patients in the hospital, skilled nursing facility, acute rehab, assisted living and home care environments.

Ms. Nicolson completed her undergraduate nursing degree at Worchester State University in Massachusetts where she trained and worked in some of Boston’s most respected hospitals. Nancy has years of nursing experience in hospice, home health, urgent care, family practice and nursing home care. She attended George Mason University in a program that was a collaboration with the Medical School at George Washington University and graduated with a Master’s in Nursing in 2012. She is board certified by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners as an Adult Nurse Practitioner. As an ANP she has worked in internal medicine in private practice and providing care to nursing home residents. With Allegiance she works with Dr. Rahel Yirga to provide primary care to residents living in assisted living centers.

Diane Hendel, FNP-C, MSN, MBA brings over twenty years in geriatric care to Allegiance, with a special love for palliative care and neurological conditions. She received her Master’s of Nursing from Marymount University and an Master’s of Business Administration from the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. She is an adjunct professor of nursing at Stratford University, and has experience in program development, case management, public health, and health promotion. She lives in Arlington with two dogs and a Bengal cat named Dudley. Her son, Alex, is a graduate student in economics and public policy at the University of Virginia.

Janine Prime is board certified in adult and geriatric care with the ANCC. She received her bachelors in nursing from the University of Virginia, a masters in nursing from George Mason University and completed a post-masters nurse practitioner program in adult and geriatrics at Maryville University. Over the course of 13 years she practiced nursing in oncology, hospice, and emergency medicine. As a NP she has focused on primary care for residents in senior communities. She is known for her friendly, energetic nature, and focuses on a holistic, collaborative approach. Building a trusting relationship with excellent communication she feels is pivotal to the quality of care she provides to her patients and their families. Janine lives in Haymarket with her husband and two children where life keeps her busy with kids’ activities, community involvement and teaching CPR and babysitting courses. She enjoys running, music, reading, time with friends and family and following hockey.

Carol Hodgson is a certified Adult Nurse Practitioner with over 30 years of nursing experience in medical, surgical intensive care, cardiac care and emergency care while working in civilian, military and veteran medical centers. She served in the Army Nurse Corps, opening the first ever diabetes high risk clinic at a veterans medical center. Carol believes making house calls as a nurse practitioner is the “best ever” and finds great satisfaction in treating patients in their own environment. Her focus is to tailor the medical management for each individual circumstance, treating the patient holistically while honoring the wishes of the person and their loved ones. She has a Master of Business Administration from Marymount University and a Master of Science in Nursing from the George Mason/George Washington University Collaborative Program Adult/Geriatric Nurse Practitioner. Carol’s company, Clinical Care House Calls of Northern Virginia recently merged with Allegiance House Calls to provide better access to care for seniors across the NOVA region.

Dr. Simmons is a Board-Certified Internist who received his Medical Degree from the University of Tennessee in 1993 and completed his Residency in Internal Medicine in 1996 at Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver, Colorado. His career includes working for Exempla Healthcare in Denver and Kaiser Permanente’s Urgent Care Department in DC. Since 2008, he has been providing high quality medical care to home-bound elderly. He is a member of the American Geriatric Society and the Academy of Home Care Physicians. As a part of the Allegiance team, Dr. Simmons provides innovative modern medical care to elders at home and senior living communities in NoVa, and also into Maryland and DC.