South College selects Dr. Maha Abdalla as director of health affairs to lead national partnership with Remote Area Medical

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 3, 2026

South College has selected Maha Abdalla, PharmD, PhD, RPh, as the director of health affairs to lead a national partnership with Remote Area Medical (RAM) to expand free clinical services and interprofessional healthcare training in underserved communities across the country.

South College students and faculty have routinely volunteered to provide free medical care at events held by RAM, a nonprofit based in East Tennessee that has provided more than $230 million worth of free medical, dental and vision services to more than 1,023,000 patients in underserved communities across the United States.

“For over seven years, my students and I have closely worked with RAM providing pharmacy services to more than 6,000 patients in underserved areas across East Tennessee,” said Abdalla, who has been a critical part of the South College School of Pharmacy for nearly 12 years. “We are excited to expand our partnership with RAM and continue reaching those who need us most nationwide.”

“This new role allows us to build the infrastructure needed within South College to create coordinated meaningful opportunities for our students across health programs. Our students will gain invaluable experience working alongside clinicians in high demand environments and learn how to provide compassionate, culturally competent care.”

The new director position was established to provide dedicated strategic leadership needed for national scaling of the partnership, support RAM’s clinical capacity and address health disparities. It also engages students and faculty from various South College health programs in impactful initiatives to improve access to quality care in underserved communities with high unmet medical needs. The partnership marks a major expansion of South College’s commitment to community health and interprofessional education.

“After working with South College students across a variety of disciplines for many years, we are energized for this next chapter,” said Ronnie Hatfield, senior outreach coordinator at Remote Area Medical. “We are excited to see the continued support of RAM’s mission to prevent pain and alleviate suffering from both current and future South College students.”

RAM pop-up clinics often serve hundreds to thousands of patients in a single day, addressing unmet needs in rural, urban and medically underserved areas. A team of South College faculty and student pharmacists helped serve more than 1,000 patients at a Knoxville pop-up clinic in February 2025.

By integrating coordinated interprofessional teams, the partnership enhances RAM’s ability to deliver comprehensive, high-quality care efficiently while expanding clinical capacity to serve more patients in communities with limited access to healthcare.

Coordinated involvement with RAM clinics among interprofessional faculty and students from South College health programs, such as pharmacy, nursing, physician assistant and dental hygiene, will be part of the partnership. They will engage in services such as patient intake, healthcare screenings, disease education, medication counseling, medication therapy management, coordinated care and public health outreach to improve community health access while preparing the next generation of clinicians to deliver culturally competent care.

The partnership includes the creation of South College Health Affairs Committee to oversee the establishment of an institution-wide RAM Chapter and the development of infrastructure and frameworks to streamline onboarding and engagement procedures for interprofessional faculty and students. The first South College/RAM-coordinated interprofessional engagement clinic will launch in Tennessee by November 2026, with plans to expand participation across RAM’s national footprint.

About South College

South College serves more than 20,000 students and is proud of its more than 20,000 graduates. The institution offers academic programs at multiple levels, including professional certificates and associate, bachelor’s, master’s, educational specialist and doctoral degree programs via campuses in Knoxville and Nashville, Tennessee; Asheville, North Carolina; Atlanta and Marietta, Georgia; Indianapolis, Indiana; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Dallas, Texas; and Orlando, Florida, as well as Online. South College focuses on ensuring high standards and quality educational offerings, maintaining multiple authorizations and accreditations.

South College’s programs span diverse fields such as business, criminal justice, education, dental hygiene/assisting, diagnostic medical sonography, nursing, occupational therapy, paralegal studies, physical therapy, radiography, respiratory therapy, physician assistant studies, pharmacy and surgical technology. The institution is dedicated to preparing students with the skills and knowledge needed for the professional opportunities ahead of them. For more information, visit south.edu.

About Remote Area Medical

RAM is a nonprofit organization that has provided more than $230 million worth of free medical, dental, and vision services in underserved communities across the United States. Since 1985, Remote Area Medical (RAM®) has provided free healthcare services to those in need through the operation of mobile pop-up clinics around the country. RAM’s free clinics deliver quality services to underserved and uninsured individuals who do not have access to or cannot afford a doctor. Today, more than 1,023,000 patients have received this free care. Learn more online at RAMusa.org.