Editor’s Note: This feature is part of a series spotlighting people who’ve lived in Charlotte for less than a year. If that sounds like you (or someone you know) we’d like to share your story. Here’s a link to our Newcomers Submission Form.
Name: Theodore Nyame, MD
Moved From: Boston
How long in Charlotte: 3 months
Occupation: Plastic surgeon at Charlotte Plastic Surgery. About 70 percent of my practice is cosmetic surgery, and about 30 percent is reconstructive surgery, mostly dealing with breast cancer patients.
Hobbies: I’m horrible at tennis, but I enjoy it. I’m horrible at golf, but I also enjoy it. I like to run; I like to read and spend time with my wife.
What brought you to Charlotte? My wife is also a physician, and we were looking for dual physician jobs in a city that would allow us to see each other and raise kids. We looked at a number of cities – New York, New Jersey, Baltimore. I had offers to stay at Harvard, Johns Hopkins and other places. I came to Charlotte and met with the group at Charlotte Plastic Surgery. It’s one of the most established practices on the East Coast, a group of surgeons dedicated to doing excellent work and providing the very best in patient care. I realized that was the kind of group I wanted to be a part of. My wife interviewed at Novant Cardiology, and she loved her group. The city definitely had better weather than Boston and New York combined. The people were friendly and that pretty much sealed the deal for us.
What do you like most about Charlotte? I love the people. I spent 11 years in Boston, and before that I spent most of my childhood in New York. When I arrived in Charlotte, it was the first time people greeted me with a warm smile without knowing who I was. That was refreshing to be in an environment where people genuinely care about each other. When somebody in Charlotte asks you how your day is, they genuinely want to know how your day is; it’s not just a cordial question thrown out as a greeting.
What do you like least? As I look at Charlotte and the pace at which it’s developing, I think traffic is going to be a huge issue. Having spent a lot of time in Boston where I dreaded every day the Red Sox played because it made traffic unbearable…if traffic here continues to worsen, it’s going to be the thing I like least.
How do you hope to get involved here? I grew up in a small village in West Africa and I grew up in the South Bronx in a very underprivileged neighborhood. One of the things I did throughout my college years at Cornell and throughout medical school at Harvard is reach out to inner-city schools to try to become a mentor. So one of the things I’m hoping to get involved with is speaking with children in some of the schools. I want to serve as a role model for what you can achieve if you continue to focus on education and a successful career.
What’s been your most memorable event since moving here? We ended up in the South End region, and our place basically overlooks the Jumbotron (in Bank of America Stadium). So watching the Panthers almost make it to the Super Bowl championship from my living room every Sunday has been one of the most memorable experiences. I’m a huge fan now.
Connect with Dr. Nyame: Linked In | Website
