A March lawsuit against the University alleging that Penn Medicine’s Black Doctors Directory was racially discriminatory has been settled, with the directory renamed as part of the resolution.
Do No Harm, a conservative national nonprofit focused on rejecting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the medical field, sued the former Black Doctors Directory after a white member was denied. As part of the settlement, the directory was been renamed to the WURD Radio Community Health and Wellness Directory, and WURD will expand the database to include doctors “who have demonstrated a commitment to helping underserved patients and communities,” according to Ashanti Martin, WURD’s general manager and interim program director.
“We are pleased that this matter has been closed, and that this valuable online resource will continue to be available to help patients gather important information about potential health care providers and make decisions about where to receive care,” Holly Auer, a Penn Med spokesperson, wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Stanley Goldfarb, former associate dean of curriculum at the Perelman School of Medicine and current chairman of Do No Harm, also voiced his gratitude that the directory would be open to physicians of all races in a statement to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Black Doctors Directory was originally created in 2024 by Penn Med and WURD Radio, the only Black-owned talk radio station in Pennsylvania, to help people of color find medical care. Black Philadelphians experience a higher risk of chronic health conditions, complications during childbirth, and premature death than white residents.
The directory will now continue to offer online resources that help Philadelphia-based patients find a doctor with whom they are comfortable.
“Penn Medicine is deeply committed to providing comfortable, convenient options for patients and communities that we serve, and to offering care that addresses each patient’s unique needs while tackling longstanding health disparities that impact individuals of color,” Auer continued. “These efforts are a foundational part of our mission to ensure that every patient has access to care that helps them be as healthy as possible across their lifespan.”
In the March 18 complaint, Do No Harm alleged that the directory violated Pennsylvania law and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, in addition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It specifically noted that the excluded doctor was “competitively disadvantaged” compared to those included in the directory from finding potential patients.
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Diversity initiatives in medicine have increasingly experienced funding cuts and legal action, both nationally and in Philadelphia.
Drexel University’s medical leadership fellowship that was previously women-only began to admit men after Do No Harm alleged the program violated Title IX. The group has also submitted complaints to the Department of Health and Human Services in response to race-based initiatives at Duke University Health System and Geisinger College of Health Science.
