Dr. Teriya M. Richmond, MD, MPH, is transforming medicine through community, innovation, and whole-person care.  

With dynamic private practice, a booming wellness spa, active community outreach, and growing influence in clinical research, Dr. Teriya M. Richmond is a trailblazer working at the intersection of health care, academia, business, and social impact.

Driven by her mission to deliver quality, evidence-based care to medically underserved communities, Dr. Richmond’s work is as holistic as it is intentional.

“I never believed in truly helping someone with one 15-minute appointment,” she said.

In private practice since 2016 — including the launch of Your Total Health Clinic and Day Spa in Houston, Texas, in 2020 — Dr. Richmond’s patient base has expanded into the thousands by blending clinical services focused on chronic disease management and women’s health with wellness offerings such as esthetic services, behavioral therapy, and medical weight loss.

“How best can physicians leverage their expertise and create brands that not only travel with them wherever they go, but also help them grow thriving, sustainable businesses?”

For Dr. Richmond, her answer to that question has included becoming a principal investigator in clinical research — and working with National Medical Fellowships’ Doctors in Clinical Trials Research Program’s Site Success Initiative to open the Richmond Center for Research, one of only a few women physician-owned clinical research sites.

“NMF is on the right track, helping practitioners better understand the business of clinical research, so that we may more fully explore our options,” Dr. Richmond said. “Since pharma is not going anywhere, it’s a smart move for private practitioners, especially, to check out NMF’s program.”

As is common with NMF participants, Dr. Richmond’s inspiration to go into medicine stemmed from her own upbringing, in her case on the West Side of Chicago.

“Teen pregnancy in my community was common, and I knew I wanted to become a change agent, helping the next generations of women learn more about their health,” she said.

Community mentorship also played a role, she added: “During my adolescent wellness visit, my doctor was a Black woman who took her time speaking with me about my health one-on-one, and that profoundly impacted me.”

Dr. Richmond earned a full scholarship to Mount Saint College in Clinton, Iowa, before earning both her medical degree and her master’s in public health from the University of Illinois’ College of Medicine and School of Public Health.

“Clinical care is a small part of the macro system of health. We need to also be considering the neighborhoods our patients live in, the access and interest they have in healthy food, and how their individual decisions are then affecting the health of their whole communities.”

Dr. Richmond completed her family medicine residency at Baylor College of Medicine and taught women’s health as an assistant professor with the University of Texas for nearly a decade before going into private practice.

She then opened Your Total Health Clinic and Day Spa at the beginning of 2020 — right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“I started and sustained my business as a one-woman show, doing everything from checking patients in to verifying insurance to cleaning bathrooms and more, all in between clinical visits,” Dr. Richmond said.

Dr. Richmond also worked as the chief medical officer at AIDS Foundation Houston during this time.

However, after enrolling in Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses Internship, Dr. Richmond learned how best to utilize staff and contractors to grow — of which she now has nearly two dozen.

“The medical spa business boomed, and typically, they are not being run by M.D.s,” Dr. Richmond said. “We need doctors in these spaces because they’re providing clinical treatments and procedures where patient safety is important.”

Dr. Richmond said she also finds working within one’s own community paves a way for “navigating the system, no matter how it changes.”

In addition to also working as an urgent care physician with Texas Southern University and an adjunct professor at the University of Houston, Dr. Richmond also advises nonprofits such as Angels Surviving Cancer; offers free exams, nutritional education, and preventive screenings with community organizations such as Viva Las Mujeres; organizes events such as races with Black Girls Run; participates in medical mission trips to areas such as Haiti; and is licensed to practice in Illinois as well as Texas.

“Community impact is another aspect of macro-based health care — the key is to get involved at the local, national, and global levels.”

Time management is necessary, she added, cautioning that the process is not a solo experience: “My staff all know and help me coordinate my schedule; my patients know I have two athletic, academically inclined sons I need to be present for; and my team knows the contact information for my business and finance managers, my attorney for contract reviews — and, of course, my partner in life, my husband.”

Somehow, Dr. Richmond still fits in exercise, prioritizes sleep — and works with NMF’s DCTR program to further her clinical research career.

“DCTR has opened my eyes to how I can manage my own clinical research site by hiring staff specifically dedicated to data and research,” she said. “Getting NMF involved with the development of the structure and strategy for this side of my business has helped me grow exponentially.”

That means giving underinsured patients greater access to health care through clinical trials, Dr. Richmond added.

“I am honored and grateful for my experience with DCTR, and with the right resources and financial backing, I hope we see more doctors successfully opening their own clinical trial sites, too.”