Meet Dr. Marie Ekpema | Owner at Summerwood Pharmacy and Compounding

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Marie Ekpema and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Marie, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
My business helps the community by injecting a very critical component missing in community pharmacy today: Compassion and Emotional Connection. In the busy world of retail pharmacy, most people are overwhelmed by insurance battles, rising healthcare costs, decreased access to quality care, understaffed pharmacies, and more. COVID-19 has worsened the dynamic between patients and healthcare professionals. Summerwood Pharmacy and Compounding has maintained a commitment to never relent in our commitment to give our patients compassionate care. I have found that for many people, the panacea to their healthcare challenges is not only in a prescription, but in how much compassion they get from their providers. When people feel cared for in a compassionate way, this feeling has the power to lower anxiety, decrease blood pressure, and more. Many people come to Summerwood Pharmacy and Compounding not because they need to fill a prescription, but because they are looking to be cared for in a special way. The education we offer on health and wellness topics in invaluable. No pharmacy in the area invests in education like we do. We also launched the children’s apothecary in 2022 and are so proud of this free STEM summer camp. Summerwood Pharmacy and compounding is the only pharmacy in Houston that offers this and we are so very proud of the children who participate. We believe that giving back is an important part of being a part of the community. This is one of the ways that we give back to our community. It is important that patients have a pharmacy that can do more than fill prescriptions, and we are proud to be a pillar in the community.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started my career as most pharmacists do: chain community retail pharmacy, followed by a career as a hospital pharmacist. While this was very rewarding, I found myself unable to take things to the next level with my patients. I had a strong desire to explore functional medicine, and the more I studied, the more out of place I felt at my job. This encouraged me to leave and explore opening a pharmacy where I could have more creative freedom to give people more of what they deserve. This was not easy, and took many years of ups and downs, as well as a lot of courage. However, my commitment to not only improve my knowledge but also the lives of the patients I serve got stronger every day. There were days when I wanted to give up, but my faith in God and encouragement from family and friends kept me going. I also had to remind myself that I have a responsibility to give my best to patients who chose me everyday. I have learned a great deal of patience, humility, empathy, the importance of being fluid and open to change, as well as learning how to maintain a self care routine. I quickly learned that as a small business owner, there is often a propensity to “overwork” or lose sense of time. Managing this is something that I have learned that I need to do in order to be successful. I want the world to re-image their idea of what an experience at a pharmacy is. I want to normalize the idea that a pharmacy can be a place where patients can come to not only fill prescriptions when they are sick, but also learn how to help their bodies to work optimally, detox efficiently, and prevent disease and more. I want to see more collaborations between pharmacists like me and providers all over the country who have a commitment to end our sick-care model. We strive to do this every single day. My goal is to saturate the minds of my patients with information and empower them to make bold decisions that pivot their health in the right direction.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would not be where I am today without the seed of health and wellness planted in me by my grandfather and mother. My grandfather was the healthiest person in our family and I am so proud of the example he showed us. Despite the sentiments that were common among people in his generation, my grandfather was incredibly open minded and could have a great time with everyone from 8 to 108. He was fascinated by nature and how the body can heal itself when given the right things. Everything he ate was perfectly balanced with healing herbs, spices and organic vegetables, and he ate fresh food everyday. My mother shared in this passion of health and wellness by the way she took care of our family. Her background as a healthcare professional further exposed me to the importance of balancing healthy living with the practical use of conventional medicine. Despite how busy she was, my mother always went out of her way to stock the house with fresh organic and exotic fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices from all over the world, and she understood the important of full body detoxing before it became a popular thing. The aroma of healthy and freshly cooked meals always permeated through every room of the house and I remember taking herbs and vitamins. I was always encouraged to take care of my health and not eat junk food. As a child, I did not fully understood the benefits of all these things, but I do today. Several years into my career as a pharmacist I realized that in order for me to properly help people, nutrition, lifestyle and supplements could not be ignored. I reached back to my childhood memories of my family and this helped me to lay the blueprint on how we help people live healthy and happier lives at Summerwood Pharmacy and Compounding!

Website: www.summerwoodrx.com

Facebook: summerwoodrx

Image Credits
Angie Lewis Photography Marie Ekpema Al Torres Photography