Around the same time that DownToDate began, Shivani Shah, DO, a pediatric neurology resident at Duke University, and her brother, Sagar Shah, an entrepreneur, had a similar idea. At the time, Shivani Shah was a fourth-year medical student about to move from New Jersey to North Carolina. Friends who were internal medicine residents described the grueling reality of the early COVID pandemic.
“It was just horrible,” says Shah. “You were isolated from your family, your support system, everything…. I think the pandemic really pushed us into realizing that this is a very important need, and sometimes it feels like community is lacking in the healthcare field.”
The sibling duo developed ForeverX, an app for healthcare workers to find meaningful and long-term romantic connections. It launched in 2021.
Concerned that the medical field was “siloed,” the Shahs chose to open the app to physicians, dentists, nurses, physical therapists, and other healthcare professionals. “Opening up the doors to more communication” between the healthcare branches was a priority.
To prevent catfishing, the app uses a twofold vetting system. Each user submits a photo of their driver’s license and a selfie that must match. There is also healthcare verification through an NPI number, nurse’s ID, or a manual process for those without either. None of the information is stored.
