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Black Physician Sues Sutter Health for Workplace Racism
Dr. Omondi Nyong’o, an internationally recognized pediatric ophthalmologist, is suing Sutter Health, a large California hospital system, for workplace racism allegedly leading to demotions, salary cuts, and derogatory remarks. Dr. Nyong’o became the first and only Black physician to chair a department in the Palo Alto Medical Foundation region of Sutter Health. However, according to the lawsuit, the hospital’s predominantly white leadership sabotaged his career, leading to shame and embarrassment.
A lawyer at Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein represents Dr. Nyong’o in his lawsuit against Sutter Health, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, and Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group. Several other anonymous Black doctors at Sutter share stories of “aggressive” or “intimidating” labeling as retaliation for raising concerns about racial discrimination or patient care. One Black surgeon claims they were followed to their office by a white coworker who questioned whether they worked there. Another Black doctor was told not to park in a space reserved for physicians by a white coworker.
Sutter Health has more than 20 hospitals, 53,000 employees, and three million patients. According to the lawsuit, none of the hospital’s senior leaders are Black, and out of the 354 physicians holding any leadership positions within Sutter, only three are Black. A 2023 study published in JAMA Surgery found that Black surgical residents experienced disproportionate risks of attrition compared to their colleagues of other races, making it difficult for the medical field to improve diversity and improve recruitment and retention of women and underrepresented minorities.
Dr. Vanessa Grubbs, an Oakland-based nephrologist, recently founded the non-profit Black Doc Village, which aims to study racism in the medical field and help Black doctors and med students overcome discrimination in the workplace. She claims discrimination can impact Black doctors early and derail their careers.
Unless both sides come to a settlement, the case is expected to go to trial this summer.
“I was subject to the type of racism that hits you in the back of the head when you don’t see it coming,” Nyong’o said. “I was blindsided by leaders who suddenly and harshly demoted me from my leadership positions, even though I was excelling at them, in order to shield themselves from accountability for their own shortcomings.”
