It Wasn’t Too Late to Learn
At age 52, she earned her Ph.D. and expanded her impact in health care.
For Terris Moss, college didn’t seem possible—until Rutgers showed her that it was.
Although education was valued by her family, a four-year college degree did not feel attainable – until Moss participated in Rutgers’ Upward Bound program, which helps low-income and first-generation students prepare for college through academic support, mentoring, and exposure to the opportunities of higher education.
Moss became the first person in her family to earn a college degree when she graduated from Rutgers’ Douglass College with a bachelor’s degree in communications. She went on to earn two master’s degrees and—at age 52—complete a Ph.D. in Biomedical Informatics at Rutgers School of Health Professions.
Selected as one of two Class of 2016 commencements speakers at her doctoral convocation, Moss encouraged fellow graduates to pursue their educational dreams, sharing her own journey as proof that it is never too late to learn.
Moss has built a career spanning healthcare consulting, clinical research, healthcare quality, executive leadership, and organizational transformation.
She said her doctoral studies gave her the expertise to bring together clinical research, healthcare, data science and technology to improve health care quality and inform health policy. Today, she applies that expertise as chief quality officer for North Carolina Medicaid, leading quality strategy and performance improvement for one of the nation’s largest Medicaid programs.
She has authored scholarly publications and presented nationally on health care quality, policy, artificial intelligence in health care, and leadership and remains committed to teaching and mentoring. After serving as adjunct faculty at George Washington University for five years, she returned to Rutgers SHP as a part-time faculty member, where she spent two years helping prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals.
“Rutgers played such an important role in my life and my career,” she said
For Moss, the Rutgers program that first opened the door to college ultimately led her back to the university as a mentor and educator. Today, Moss hopes her own journey reminds others that one opportunity can change the course of a life—and that education has the power to open doors they never imagined were possible.