UA Docs Swimming in ABC’s “Shark Tank”

September 19, 2013

Looking to make communication between patients and doctors an easy, intuitive and secure process is the entrepreneurial idea that has catapulted Drs. Richard and Albert Amini, who are brothers and University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson residency graduates, onto Shark Tank logonational TV with an appearance on ABC’s “Shark Tank.”

“Shark Tank” debuts Friday, September 20 and during the show, the two brothers will be pitching their RoloDoc business plan to multimillion dollar investors ‘sharks” like Mark Cuban, to gain financial backing.

Richard Amini, MD, RDMS, an emergency medicine specialist, credits his brother Albert with coming up with the idea to create a social media-based communications tool to enable doctors and their patients to discuDr. Richard Aminiss a variety of issues that may occur as a result of treatment. He is an assistant professor at the UA Department of Emergency Medicine and is the ultrasound director at the University of Arizona Medical Center – South Campus, a part of The University of Arizona Health Network. He completed his emergency medicine residency at the UA and is a graduate of the Loyola Stritch School of Medicine.

Albert Amini, MD, a surgeon, said working with patients in intensive care made him aware of the challenges in maintaining direct communications with patients once they left the hospital. Patients would look to friend him on Facebook to ask questions about medication or their surgery. He thought there had to be a better way and worked with his brother to create RoloDoc. He recently completed his general surgery residency at the UA and is now a clinical instructor and hepatobiliary surgery fellow at the Medical College of Wisconsin Froedtert Hospital. He is a graduate of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

They began envisioning a website and an app where patients could login and securely ask medical questions, book appointments and send direct texts and otherwise interact much like other social media type applications and websites allow.

In Dr. Albert Aminibetween finalizing specialized training, having families and establishing themselves in their profession, the brothers multitasked to build their website with local and overseas IT professionals. They also searched for financial capital opportunities to help them take their idea from concept to reality.

"Shark Tank" is offering that opportunity and on Friday, the nation will know the outcome.

The critically-acclaimed business-themed show, "Shark Tank", has the sharks continuing the search to invest in the best businesses and products that America has to offer. The show received a nomination for a Producers Guild Award in 2013. In 2012 "Shark Tank" received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Reality Program and a nomination for a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Reality Series.