North Allegheny Tenth Grader Wins Congressman Deluzio’s 2024 Congressional App Challenge

December 19, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) announced that North Allegheny Intermediate High School 10th grader Shivum Telang is the winner of Pennsylvania’s 17th District 2024 Congressional App Challenge. His app, “MedMatch,” helps patients and primary care offices find and compare top-rated doctors in the area with ease and objectivity. Click here to watch a demo of this winning app. A photo of winner Shivum Telang is available here.

The U.S. House of Representatives and the Internet Education Foundation created the nationwide Congressional App Challenge in 2013 to foster an appreciation for computer science and STEM.

“Congratulations to Shivum on his winning app, MedMatch, and thank you to all of the students who participated in this year’s Congressional App Challenge,” said Congressman Deluzio. “Western PA is a leader in the technology and healthcare industries, and the competitive app submissions from students like Shivum show rising interest in innovation and technology! I am excited Shivum will have a chance to showcase his app alongside winners from across the country at this year’s House of Code down in Washington this spring.”

Shivum Telang’s winning app “MedMatch” combines functionality and AI-powered support, to help patients quickly find the best doctors in their area.

Specifically, the app:

Allows users to create an account, which ensures that their progress is saved for future use. Upon returning, users can seamlessly continue where they left off.
On the map page, users can select the type of doctor they need, of any specialty.
MedMatch then utilizes the user’s location to display doctor offices that specialize in their chosen field. These offices are marked on a map with annotations, which help the user visualize how close the doctors are to their current location.
When a user taps on one of the annotations, detailed information about the selected office is displayed, including the office’s rating, phone number, and address. This information is retrieved using an API scraper that ensures the data is current and relevant.
The app’s features include a "Like and Save" option. After reviewing a doctor’s profile, users can choose to "Like and Save" the office, which adds it to their personal account
MedMatch includes a built-in AI chatbot, powered by OpenAI. This chatbot offers real-time guidance and support, helping users who may have questions or encounter difficulties as they move through the app.

The Congressional App Challenge seeks to encourage middle and high school students to pursue careers in tech through a nationwide coding challenge. Every year, Members of Congress challenge students in their districts to create and submit their original apps for a chance to win the competition. Winning apps from each district will be displayed and recognized at an event in Washington, D.C. in the spring of 2025.

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