Court strikes down UPenn Medicine’s ‘Black doctors directory’ for excluding white physicians

A federal court has ruled that the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) Medicine’s Black Doctors Directory can no longer exclude physicians based on race, marking a major victory for critics of race-based policies in medicine.

The ruling came after the medical watchdog group Do No Harm filed a lawsuit challenging the directory’s racially exclusive membership criteria. The court concluded that the directory must now be “equally open to physicians regardless of race,” according to documents cited by Minding the Campus.

The directory, once marketed as a way for black patients to find black doctors, was jointly operated by WURD Radio, Penn Medicine, and the Consortium of DEI Health Educators. In response to the decision, the organizations quietly renamed it the Community Health and Wellness Directory, according to Minding the Campus.

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In a statement following the ruling, Do No Harm chairman Dr. Stanley Goldfarb said the case represented a pushback against divisive racial politics in medicine.

“Do No Harm has long opposed ‘racial concordance,’ a thoroughly debunked theory that only breeds suspicion and prejudice,” Goldfarb said. “When medical providers prioritize expertise and high-quality care, patients will see better health outcomes.”

“Racial concordance” is the notion that patients receive better treatment from doctors of the same race — an idea frequently invoked by diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) advocates to justify race-based hiring or matching policies in healthcare. Critics argue it undermines merit, professionalism, and equal opportunity.

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Linda Tarver, a Project 21 ambassador who advocates for black conservatism, said that the racial-concordance model “is a flawed approach” to healthcare.

“The evidence does not demonstrate a Black Doctors Directory has eliminated inequities in diseases among Black people,” Tarver said. “What correlation is there to black doctors and proper diet, nutrition, exercise, intentional lifestyle changes, and good choices in the black community?”

Tarver added that focusing on the race of doctors distracts from real health priorities. “Medicine is perhaps the most important industry in the world,” she said. “It should be the least racially driven.”

She emphasized that fighting genuine racial discrimination in health care is necessary but argued that exclusionary directories and DEI-driven programs do not solve disparities. “We seek healing from a competent and experienced health provider — no color or race or religion denied.”

In a comment to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn Medicine spokesperson Holly Auer said the university is “pleased that this matter has been closed,” adding that the online directory “will continue to be available to help patients gather important information about potential health care providers and make decisions about where to receive care.”

The lawsuit’s outcome follows a growing backlash against DEI-based practices in higher education and professional fields. 

Campus Reform has contacted the University of Pennsylvania for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.