Penn and WURD are renaming Black Doctors Directory following a discrimination lawsuit

A directory designed by Penn Medicine and WURD Radio to help people of color find doctors in Philadelphia will change its name after a conservative nonprofit sued, claiming it discriminated against white doctors.

Black Doctors Directory is changing its name to the WURD Radio Community Health and Wellness Directory as part of a settlement with Do No Harm, a national nonprofit that advocates against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in medicine.

The Virginia-based group had sued after one of its members believed they would not be able to join because they are white. According to the complaint, the doctor decided not to apply after reading on the directory’s website that it was intended to help Black patients find Black doctors.

“We are grateful that the directory is open to physicians of all races,” Stanley Goldfarb, the group’s chairman and a former associate dean at Penn’s medical school, said in a statement.

Penn and WURD, the Black-owned talk radio station in Philadelphia, said they were pleased to continue offering the online resource that helps Philadelphia-area patients find doctors they feel comfortable with.

The directory is an important way for Penn to help address “each patient’s unique needs while tackling longstanding health disparities that impact individuals of color,” Holly Auer, a spokesperson for Penn, said in a statement.

WURD will update and expand the website to include contact information for doctors “who have demonstrated a commitment to helping underserved patients and communities,” as well as feature interviews and provide other multimedia educational resources, Ashanti Martin, WURD’s general manager and interim program director, said in a statement.

“At a time when Medicaid and SNAP benefits are under attack, it is critically important that our listeners have resources and support that will help them better care for themselves and their families,” she said.

Penn Medicine and WURD launched the directory in October 2024 as a way to connect people with physicians who are sensitive to patients’ cultural and racial backgrounds.

Leading medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and Association of American Medical Colleges, have encouraged health institutions to train more diverse doctors and help patients access providers with shared racial or ethnic backgrounds as part of their efforts to address racial health disparities.

Philadelphia’s Black residents are at greater risk of developing chronic health conditions, experiencing complications during childbirth, and dying prematurely than white residents are.

DEI initiatives have been targeted by President Donald Trump’s administration, which has threatened to withhold funding from universities that do not cease diversity programs.

Do No Harm has challenged such initiatives as discriminatory against white providers. The group has also filed complaints with the Department of Health and Human Services over race-based initiatives at Duke University Health System and Geisinger College of Health Sciences in Scranton.

The group has also challenged woman-only scholarships, awards, and professional development workshops, including Drexel University’s prestigious woman-only leadership medical fellowship, which this spring opened to men.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify details of the application cited in the lawsuit.