Meet Dr. Tamika Cross of Serenity Women’s Health and Medspa in Pearland

Dr. Cross, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?

Born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised by extremely supportive parents, as long as I can remember, I had dreamed of one day becoming a doctor. Anyone who knows me knows that when I set a goal for myself, no matter how long the journey, how great the obstacles, how many times I try to convince myself to quit, I’m going to achieve it! I worked extremely hard and made countless sacrifices to become a doctor.

As a medical student on my OBGYN rotation, I continued to identify ways that would help make this a more relaxing, less stressful experience for women. That is when my dream was born. I wanted to create a clinical environment where women would feel safe, comfortable, and relaxed when going in to see their OBGYN. As a patient, I felt what patients felt while waiting in a cold room, half-naked, dreading my annual gynecological exam. I thought to myself, there’s nothing more relaxing than a day at the spa, and combining those two environments it would create a space that women would enjoy coming to. I wanted patients to be comforted as well as empowered to come to the doctor rather than putting off important health screening exams. I knew that one day I would create this environment, but I didn’t put a timeline on it. I only shared this dream with a handful of close friends and family because I didn’t know when I would actually take the HUGE leap into unknown territory.

I ended up working for a major academic health system for a few years after graduation. Although I loved practicing, I still didn’t have that clinical environment I had always dreamed of 10 years prior. I had an internal battle between being comfortable coming to work, doing what I love and going home, or taking that leap of faith and starting from scratch and creating the experience that God put on my heart ten years prior.

A good friend and colleague of mine, Dr. Peace Nwegbo-Banks and I studied for our oral board exam together. During this difficult time trying to balance personal obstacles, working over 60 hours a week and studying for this important exam, our bond grew stronger. We shared our dreams and goals and realized how much they were aligned. After we successfully navigated this exam, we saw how great of a team we are even through adversity and challenges. We decided to embark on our journey toward our dream as business partners and form Serenity Women’s Health and Medspa.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

The journey has been the furthest thing from easy! After deciding to start our business in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic hit and impacted every sector greatly. Banks were closing down lending to start-ups, as they were funding other programs to assist existing businesses and behind on those applications. On top of this, we had both been working the frontlines of the pandemic. It was stressful! It was also very discouraging, at times. Many people had discouraged us from opening an independently owned OBGYN practice even before the pandemic, and those voices echoed louder after it hit. We were unsure if it was the right time but after prayer and affirmations, we decided to propel forward in following our dream.

Also, during this time, we both had individual struggles along the way. I, personally, ended up having two back to back major surgeries during this time. Each one left me pretty much immobilized with many restrictions. I continued working from my hospital bed to my bed at home (I followed doctors’ orders, though). I had a goal in mind to get the practice up and running by the end of 2020 and I didn’t want to delay those plans. Every single day I had to wake up and make the decision to be an entrepreneur and follow my dream. That daily decision was what pushed me through this difficult time along with prayer, a supportive circle, and an undeniably supportive business partner, Dr. Nwegbo-Banks.

Serenity Women’s Health and Medspa – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?

Serenity Women’s Health and MedSpa is an OBGYN clinic providing your routine OBGYN services as well as an on-site laboratory, on-site ultrasounds, and procedures. In addition, we also have a fully serviced Medspa, including services such as facials, microdermabrasion, chemical peels, laser hair removal, massage therapy, Botox/fillers, to name a few.

We have cultivated a patient-centered experience. We are thorough and conscientious in the personalized and quality obstetric and gynecological care that we provide. We value transparency, cultural sensitivity and effective communication amongst our patients and staff. We strive to bring innovation in a space that also optimizes your wellness and beauty. We recognize the instrumental role the environment plays in helping to redefine the inner you. We, therefore, are proud to provide a serene ambiance to treat women through all stages of growth and aging. We value inclusion, excellence, integrity, teamwork, and advocacy. We are black-owned and operated and value our diverse patient population.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?

I would have to say my proudest moment of my career was when I successfully navigated the highest level of certification in my field.

Although I had successfully navigated several board exams through my journey in becoming a doctor prior to then, the OBGYN Oral Board exam was different. For all doctors, passing a written board exam is required after completing specialty-specific residency training. For many fields of medicine, it is then that you become board certified. For surgical specialties, after passing the written exam, a couple of years later, you have to then pass an oral exam. It isn’t until you pass them both that you become board-certified. This is why this is probably at the top of my list for proudest moments in my career.