Their Parents Met Online. Then They Matched in Real Life.
The first time Dr. Sunpreet Singh Tandon and Dr. Shalini Moningi spoke, they already had their families' approval.
Their parents first connected in 2022 on Shaadi.com, an Indian matchmaking website where relatives can create accounts on behalf of single family members. After speaking on the phone a year later, Dr. Moningi's and Dr. Tandon's parents felt confident in their matchmaking skills and exchanged their children's phone numbers. Then, it was up to the children what to do next.
'I'd been set up before and gone on these first dates, and I was just tired and irritated that evening, so I saw a text as an item on my to-do list,' said Dr. Moningi, who, nevertheless, reached out first with a short greeting.
After Dr. Tandon responded, they began texting regularly, then moved to phone calls, and a connection soon developed. But there was one not-so-minor challenge: They lived a two-hour flight apart, with Dr. Moningi in Boston and Dr. Tandon in Cleveland.
Dr. Moningi, 36, is an assistant professor at the department of radiation oncology at Harvard Medical School — specifically, in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She was born in Cuttack, India, and raised in Al Bukayriyah, Saudi Arabia, then Philadelphia, and, finally, Charleston, W.Va. She has a bachelor's in chemistry and philosophy from West Virginia University and a medical degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. In April, Dr. Moningi will start a new role as an assistant professor in the department of radiation oncology at the Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Tandon, 37, was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, and spent his childhood in Grand Falls-Windsor, Canada, before moving with his family to Mankato, Minn., then to Andalusia, Ala., and then to Kent, Ohio. He earned a bachelor's degree in integrated life sciences from Kent State University and a medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University. He is a staff radiologist at Fairview Hospital in the Cleveland Clinic system.
In January 2024, Dr. Tandon flew to Boston from Cleveland for his first date with Dr. Moningi.
'I was hopeful but I didn't want to get crushed,' Dr. Tandon said.
They had brunch at Buttermilk & Bourbon, where Dr. Moningi discovered that Dr. Tandon doesn't drink coffee or alcohol.
'My grandma would have loved him,' she said. 'What a good boy.'
They walked to the Massachusetts State House afterward — one of Dr. Tandon's goals is to visit every state capitol in the United States — and visited the Museum of Fine Arts.
At the end of the 24-hour trip, Dr. Tandon invited Dr. Moningi to visit him in Cleveland. She thought he was being polite until he called her as soon as his plane landed. From that point on, the two spoke on the phone daily.
'We connected on our Midwest values, our love for our friends and family and home and our community,' Dr. Moningi said.
'My cellphone usage has skyrocketed,' Dr. Tandon said.
In September, Dr. Tandon proposed during a hike at the Rocky River Reservation in Cleveland.
[Click here to binge read this week's featured couples.]
'She didn't say yes initially,' Dr. Tandon said. 'I was holding her hand, I gave my spiel, and she just looked at me. She was waiting until I got on the ground.'
After, they met both of their families in Richfield, Ohio, to visit the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Foundation, a Sikh place of worship, and then the Sree Venkateswara Temple, a Hindu temple, to receive blessings for their union. Dr. Tandon's family practices the Sikh religion and Dr. Moningi's family is Hindu.
Dr. Moningi and Dr. Tandon were married on Feb. 22 at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., in a Hindu ceremony led by Srinathan Kadambi, the head priest of the Hindu Society of North East Florida, in front of 230 guests.
On the morning of their wedding, the couple also participated in a Sikh marriage ceremony at the Jacksonville Gurdwara, led by the gyani, or congregation leader, Amandeep Singh.
'In a gurdwara, it's all about equality, so whether you're a king or pauper, everyone sits on the floor,' Dr. Tandon said.
Dr. Moningi and Dr. Tandon chose the wedding location because it is close to Dr. Moningi's parents' home in Jacksonville, Fla., and because the city holds a deeper meaning for the family. Dr. Moningi's younger brother, Sanat Moningi, died in San Francisco in 2018 at 24. After several years of mourning, Dr. Moningi's parents moved to Jacksonville from Charleston, where Sanat grew up.
The new city, Dr. Moningi said, 'represents a lot of the strength of our family and moving forward and being strong and surviving something we never could have imagined happening. It's about having Sanat with us but moving forward.'
They honored Sanat at the reception with a memorial during which Dr. Moningi's and Sanat's friends talked about his life and accomplishments.
'There were so many people who supported me and my family through a really bad time that were there with us,' Dr. Moningi said. 'Every person from different stages of my life was in the same place, which was very cool and meant a lot.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ohio lawmakers propose physical fitness test in schools. How fat, obese are Ohio's kids?
Ohio lawmakers want to bring back the Presidential Physical Fitness Test to the state's schools. The proposal would require students in grades 1 through 12 to take an annual fitness exam modeled after the test, which started in 1956 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower and was discontinued in 2012. Ohio lawmakers say today's children need more physical fitness. "In a time when sedentary lifestyles, screen time, and childhood obesity are on the rise, this legislation sends a clear message: physical fitness is not optional, it is essential," said Elgin Rogers, D-Toledo, one of House Bill 322's sponsors. So how heavy are Ohio's children? Here's a look at the state's childhood obesity rates. The rate of obesity in Ohio is 18.3% for children ages 6 to 17, according to the State of Childhood Obesity report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, slightly higher than the national average of 17%. The study uses data from the National Survey of Children's Health in 2022 and 2023. Ohio ranks No. 17 in the nation for obese children, better than Wisconsin (No. 16) at 18.4% but worse than South Carolina (No. 18) at 18.1%. Topping the list is Mississippi, which has a childhood obesity rate of 25%, according to the report. Looking at childhood obesity rates for different age groups in the report, Ohio is No. 12 in the nation for obesity among high school students with a rate of 16.8%. The report uses data from 2019 for that statistic. For children ages 10-17, the obesity rate is 16.2%, 27th in the nation, using data from 2022. And for children ages 2-4 that participate in the state's Women, Infants and Children program, the obesity rate is 12.5%, using data from 2020, putting the Buckeye State at No. 42 in the nation in that age group. According to Harvard Men's Health Watch, a publication of Harvard Medical School, the fitness test has undergone many revisions over the decades. However, the version most people are familiar with consists of a one-mile run, pull-ups or push-ups, sit-ups, shuttle run and sit-and-reach. "The aim was to assess cardiovascular fitness, upper-body and core strength, endurance, flexibility, and agility," Matthew Sloan writes in the article. The test was discontinued in 2012 by President Barack Obama in favor of a different method, the Presidential Youth Fitness Program. The new program "modernized fitness education" by emphasizing student health, goal setting and personal progress. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio lawmakers eye physical fitness test return. Childhood obesity rates
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
This Rare 'Silent' Cancer Has Quadrupled Among Millennials
A new study, published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that a rare form of cancer – appendix cancer, or appendiceal adenocarcinoma – is as much as three times as common among Gen X, born between 1965 and 1980, as it is among those born in the '40s. However, for older millennials who were born in the '80s (millennials were born between 1981-1996), the rates were more than four times higher. The Christie NHS Foundation Trust explains it accounts for 0.4% of all cancers of the bowel; it's a rare condition. But what is appendix cancer, how do you spot it, and why might it be on the rise? Appendiceal adenocarcinoma, the most common form of appendix cancer, can often develop 'without developing symptoms,' the Cleveland Clinic shares. Because it can be so hard to spot, it is sometimes described as a 'silent' cancer in its early stages. Often, people only notice signs when the tumours have spread; the NHS say that it is often only spotted during surgery. Some symptoms that may occur, however, include: Appendicitis Bloating A buildup of fluid in your abdomen An increased waist size Abdominal or pelvic pain. Changes in bowel habits (including diarrhoea) Nausea and vomiting Feeling full soon after you start eating. Speak to your GP immediately if you notice signs of appendix cancer. This study did not seek to find out why different generations have different rates of appendix cancer. But it is not the only cancer which has followed a similar generational pattern – bowel and breast cancer, for instance, are both affecting more and more young people while rates among older people stay roughly stable. Speaking to the New York Times, gastroenterologist and colon cancer expert Dr Andrew T. Chan, who was not involved in the study, suggested that some changes to our diet over time might be responsible for the uptick in bowel cancers. But it is hard to say more about appendix cancer, which is already a poorly understood condition. Cancer expert Professor Andreana Holowaty told the publication that the rise does not seem to be caused by an increase in diagnoses, however, not least because the disease is so hard to spot. 'Similar trends have been reported for other gastrointestinal cancers, suggestive of a potential shared cause contributing to this increasing cancer burden across generations,' the paper reads. Scientists' Bowel Cancer Breakthrough 'Pivotal' For Future Treatment These 3 Diet Changes May Reduce Your Bowel Cancer Risk By 47% The Nutrient Linked To Lower Cancer, Heart Disease, And Dementia Risk
Forbes
16 hours ago
- Forbes
The Future Of Healthcare Is Collaborative—And AI Is The Catalyst
Collaboration and AI in Indian health care A quiet revolution is underway in the heart of a radiology lab at Apollo Hospitals in Chennai, India. Artificial intelligence is scanning high-resolution images, flagging anomalies, reducing the time for diagnosis, and improving accuracy. But what makes this advancement so powerful isn't just the algorithm behind it. It's the collaboration between a hospital, a tech company, and a university that makes AI innovation sustainable, scalable, and relevant to India's complex healthcare landscape. Across India, a new model of digital health transformation is emerging, one where partnerships are as crucial as platforms. For a country grappling with massive disparities in healthcare access and delivery, this shift couldn't be more timely. These are the observations and conclusions from my peer, Dr. Priyanka Shrivastava, who is a Professor of Marketing & Analytics at Hult International Business School and an Executive Fellow at The Digital Economist. India's healthcare system faces deep challenges: a rapidly growing population, stark urban-rural divides, a chronic shortage of medical professionals, and overstretched public infrastructure. While the proliferation of health-tech startups has brought promise, much of the innovation remains confined to urban pockets or pilot projects. AI detects disease, streamlines diagnosis, and personalizes treatment. Tools like AI-powered nutrition coaches (HealthifyMe's Ria) and automated diagnostic assistants (such as those used by Aindra or Columbia Asia Hospital) are transforming the delivery of healthcare. Yet, these tools often encounter barriers due to a lack of interoperability, fragmented data systems, regulatory uncertainty, and resistance from overworked staff who fear that AI might be more of a disruption than an aid. Technology alone cannot fix healthcare. But technology plus collaboration just might. In a recent study, Dr. Shrivastava and her colleagues surveyed 300 healthcare professionals across 50 institutions and held in-depth interviews with doctors, technologists, and policymakers. The results were striking: institutions with strong cross-sector collaborations consistently showed higher and more sustained AI adoption. Three core insights emerged: Urban hospitals often have access to advanced technology and data, whereas rural clinics often lack even basic diagnostic capabilities. But when these entities partner via telemedicine links, shared platforms, or co-funding arrangements, AI can extend its reach. For example, Apollo's AI systems, when linked with satellite clinics, enable faster referrals and better triage in underserved regions. Resistance to AI isn't irrational—it often stems from a lack of understanding. The study found that joint workshops, where doctors and engineers co-learned and co-created, built buy-in from healthcare workers. When staff are trained with the tools and understand how they were developed, they are far more likely to embrace them. AI isn't plug-and-play. It requires regular updates, feedback loops, and cultural alignment. Institutions that formalized collaboration through MOUs, shared R&D labs, or co-published studies were more likely to sustain AI programs over the long term. Apollo's AI-driven radiology initiative in Chennai is a textbook example. Faced with long diagnosis times and overburdened radiologists, the hospital sought a solution. Instead of simply buying an off-the-shelf AI tool, Apollo co-developed one with a university, providing algorithm expertise, and a startup delivering the technical infrastructure. Doctors and developers worked side by side. The result? Diagnosis time dropped by 30%, and accuracy improved by 15%. Radiologists weren't replaced—they were enhanced, with AI acting as a second pair of eyes. Continuous training and feedback ensured the system evolved with practice. This wasn't a one-off deployment. It was an ecosystem. And that made all the difference. While Apollo represents a private success, the public sector isn't far behind. India's eSanjeevani platform, which added AI-supported teleconsultation features during the pandemic, saw a 40% increase in rural usage. This shows that with the right support and scale, AI can democratize access to care. The National Digital Health Mission is another promising initiative. If executed well—with strong data privacy frameworks and open APIs—it can offer a common layer for innovation. Startups can plug into public records; government hospitals can access AI-enabled diagnostics; researchers can draw insights from anonymized data. But for this to happen, policymakers must prioritize collaboration frameworks just as much as digital infrastructure. As India enters a defining decade for health innovation, here are four actionable takeaways from the research: Tax breaks, innovation grants, and pilot funding for joint ventures in AI health can catalyze adoption. Startups gain credibility and scale; public hospitals get access to frontier tech. Set up AI literacy programs for frontline health workers. Encourage interdisciplinary training so doctors, nurses, and tech teams speak a common language. A national framework on health data interoperability is overdue. Without this, AI solutions cannot scale beyond one institution. Build trust through consent-driven, encrypted data-sharing norms. Mandate impact audits for all health AI deployments—measuring not just tech efficiency, but patient outcomes, staff satisfaction, and system-level equity. The most inspiring part of this story? AI in Indian healthcare isn't being driven solely by top-down mandates or Silicon Valley imports. It's being shaped organically by Indian doctors, engineers, policy thinkers, and entrepreneurs who are joining forces. This pluralistic model with many voices but one mission could well become a template for emerging economies around the world. In a landscape where access to a doctor can mean the difference between life and death, AI's potential is undeniable. But its success will depend on something far more human: our ability to collaborate. The most transformative technology for health care is not an algorithm. It is the alignment of purpose, people, vision, and AI through collaboration.
