Terry Stubbs of ActivMed received an honorary associate degree from NECC President Lane Glenn at the May 20 Commencement.

Terry Stubbs of Hampton Falls, founder, president, and CEO of ActivMed Practices & Research, Inc., received an Honorary Associate Degree in Business Management from Northern Essex Community College President Lane Glenn at the college’s 55th annual commencement on Saturday, May 20.

In presenting the honor, Glenn said it is “based on your successful business career, the many contributions you have made to medical science, and your continued support of Northern Essex Community College.”

ActivMed is a clinical research trial company, with locations in Methuen, Lawrence, and Beverly, Massachusetts as well as Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  The company is in the top 2% of women owned companies within the US and locally employs 36 people, while working closely with local physicians and hospitals.

The company manages national and international research trials that are helping to discover treatments for diseases like Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and heart disease.

Stubbs earned a certificate in medical transcribing from Northern Essex in 1984, and she went on to earn a certificate in medical assisting.

After working in the research field, she and a partner founded ActivMed Practices & Research, Inc. in 1994.

When Stubbs realized there was a shortage of people with the skills needed for careers in the clinical research field, she turned to Northern Essex, her alma mater, and invited the college to develop a program in partnership with her.

That clinical research coordinator advanced certificate program is now in place and students are being recruited for the first class which will begin this fall.

“NECC gave me a great start in my career path in medicine,” said Stubbs.  “It is a thrill and an honor to be recognized by the college in this way, and I am excited to be part of NECC’s growth plans for the future.”

With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 70 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth.  Each year, 8,500 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 2,600 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley.  Northern Essex is the only state college located in the lower Merrimack Valley Region of Massachusetts. For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.