Ala Stanford, surgeon who helped lead Philly’s COVID response, is running for Congress with Dwight Evans’ backing

Ala Stanford, a pediatric surgeon who rose to prominence in the city for her work responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, is running for Congress with the backing of retiring U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans.

“My default is to serve,” Stanford told The Inquirer Tuesday, ahead of the campaign’s public launch Wednesday. “Every single day I go to work at 21st and Lehigh, where the people I serve can’t afford or access basic healthcare. They don’t have quality, safe schools for their children. They sometimes don’t feel safe in their communities.”

In 2020, at the height of the pandemic when Philadelphia was struggling to respond to COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on communities of color, Stanford founded the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium. By 2022, the nonprofit organization reported it had served more than 100,000 Philadelphians without access to testing and care.

In 2021, Stanford founded a health center in North Philadelphia to deliver healthcare to residents in the zip code with the lowest life expectancy. A year later, President Joe Biden appointed her to be the regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of the Mid-Atlantic region.

Now, she said, she wants to use the platform she’s built to advocate for Philadelphians in Washington.

Stanford enters the crowded Democratic primary race after three lawmakers announced their bids for the 3rd Congressional District — but with a key endorsement in Evans.

Evans commended Stanford’s career in medicine working for equitable access to healthcare and noted her perseverance amid personal obstacles. Stanford was born to a 14-year-old mother and raised in the Germantown section of Philadelphia in Section 8 housing, often relying on food stamps and other support programs.

“Like so many of our neighbors, she faced significant challenges growing up, but every step of the way, she overcame those challenges, succeeded through hard work, and never forgot where she came from,” Evans said in a statement.

“At this moment in history, Congress needs more fighters to push back against this administration, and I know Dr. Stanford is ready to represent Philadelphia and be that champion for the people of this city and the region,” he added.

Stanford’s campaign will highlight the work she has done to combat health disparities in Black communities, including during President Donald Trump’s first term, when her group rented a van to visit church parking lots to build up trust with the community and administer COVID tests and vaccines.

Stanford points to her work in a moment when access to affordable healthcare has become a priority for Democrats. She discussed her campaign the day before a likely government shutdown, as Congress remained at an impasse over Democratic demands on funding healthcare.

The timing of that was coincidental, she said, but highlights the need for more doctors in Washington.

“Policy debates aren’t abstract for me ... career politicians see numbers, and doctors see lives,” she said. “I bring science, evidence and truth to counter misinformation, and I understand healthcare from the exam room to the policy room.”

After working for the federal government, Stanford was named as a possible Philadelphia health commissioner but ultimately withdrew from consideration. She is also professor of practice in biology at the University of Pennsylvania.

In 2021 CNN named her a “Top 10 Hero,” and Fortune Magazine included her on a list of the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders.”

Stanford, 54, is in the process of moving with her family from Jenkintown, in Montgomery County, to Chestnut Hill, where they purchased a home. Chestnut Hill is in the 3rd District, which stretches from Northwest Philadelphia to South Philadelphia.

“But I was born at Broad and Olney,” she noted. “Raised at 18th and Erie, go to work at 21st and Lehigh, teach in University City, and I’ll be at the Linc on Sunday.”

The race for Evans’ seat, representing the most Democratic district in the state, is already a competitive one. State Sen. Sharif Street, the former head of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, is running with the early backing of several unions in the city.

State Rep. Chris Rabb, a progressive lawmaker who represents one of the highest turnout parts of the city, launched his campaign in July.

State Rep. Morgan Cephas, who chairs the Philadelphia delegation in Harrisburg, announced her bid last month.

Another doctor, David Oxman, an intensive care doctor at Jefferson, is running, as are two other political newcomers: Robin Toldens, a real estate agent and former city employee, and Karl Morris, a Temple University computer science professor.

An early poll on the race conducted by the political action committee Black Leadership Pennsylvania, found Street with a lead, which shifted to a toss-up when voters learned more about the candidates. The poll included two Philadelphia City Council members who have not said they are running: Isaiah Thomas and Kathy Gilmore Richardson. Philadelphia has a “resign to run” rule that requires lawmakers to resign city positions to run for federal office.

This story was updated to reflect Ala Stanford’s place of residence at the time of publication.