Federal lawsuit challenges UCSF Health’s discriminatory internship program; equal opportunity for all students at stake

Oakland, CA; February 11, 2025: The world-renowned UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland faces a federal lawsuit over its Community Health and Adolescent Mentoring Program for Success (CHAMPS), a high school internship program that explicitly excludes students based on race.

Launched in 2000, CHAMPS aims to increase minority representation in healthcare by offering an intensive three-year internship. Students shadow doctors during clinical rotations, take healthcare classes, complete hands-on projects, and receive college preparation support, such as SAT prep and application assistance.

While the program is highly competitive and has rigorous academic and application standards, there is an additional requirement unrelated to academics or career preparation: Only students from UCSF Health’s preferred racial groups are eligible to apply. Other students are explicitly excluded.

“Equal opportunity means exactly that: Every student should have the chance to compete for programs like CHAMPS based on merit, not their skin color,” said Andrew Quinio, an attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation. “Students who dream of a medical career should not be excluded because of their race. UCSF can create opportunities to inspire future healthcare leaders, but it cannot use race to decide who participates.”

The Equal Protection Clause ensures that no state or government entity can deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws, which includes protection from racial discrimination. California’s Prop 209 also bans racial preferences in public education.

Now, a qualified high school student, G.H.*, is challenging the program’s discriminatory eligibility criteria. Represented at no charge by Pacific Legal Foundation, she has filed a federal lawsuit, arguing that CHAMPS violates the U.S. Constitution and California law.

The case is Hooley v. Regents of the University of California and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. 

* Our client is a minor using the pseudonym G.H. for privacy.