Best-Friend Doctors Chase Their Dreams As They Open Quench Wellness

Best friends since 2001, Drs. Gameli Dekayie and Chantale Stephens-Archer have gone through the University of Chicago together, been roommates and became the first doctors in their respective families. Now they’re business partners, too, as co-owners of the new South Loop medical practice, Quench Wellness, which recently opened. The practice, located at 1319 S. Michigan Ave., focuses on a variety of services, including IV vitamin infusions, hormone replacement, and vaginal laser therapy.

“We respect each other, and we’re accountable to each other, whether it’s been in college, medical school, in relationships or even working out together,” said Dekayie, of Hyde Park. “She’s like my accountability partner. That has strengthened our friendship, and it also has helped with our business.”

Dekayie and Stephens-Archer, of Elmhurst, are both examples of the American Dream come true. Dekayie moved to Chicago from Ghana when she was 5½ years old. The former Park Forest resident and Rich East High School alumna graduated from the University of Chicago before earning her medical degree from Rush University and completing her residency at the University of Chicago.

In addition to her work at Quench, Dekayie is a full-time ER physician and Associate Medical Director at