UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, Oakland, California
OAKLAND — A white high school student has ended her lawsuit against the University of California San Francisco, saying a settlement with UCSF has succeeded in persuading the university to end a race-based healthcare internship program at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland that she had alleged illegally discriminated against white applicants.
On June 12, the constitutional legal advocacy group, the Pacific Legal Foundation, announced the deal ending the litigation they had lodged on behalf of a female student, identified only as G.H., and her mother, Rebecca Hooley, against UCSF.
"This is a victory for G.H. and all future students who want to apply to the UCSF program," said Andrew Quinio, an attorney with PLF who represented the family in the action.
The lawsuit had been filed in February 2025 by the Hooleys, targeting UCSF's program known as the Community Health and Adolescent Mentoring Program for Success (CHAMPS.)
The three-year program that lets students shadow doctors and take classes for seven hours each week during the school year for high school credit. The program also includes preparation for standardized tests and college application assistance.
In their lawsuit, the Hooleys and PLF noted the CHAMPS program is "highly competitive" and highly sought after. But the program was closed entirely to "non-minority students," the lawsuit asserted.
The lawsuit noted that the CHAMPS application that G.H. and other students requires students to identify their race, but the only options provided were Asian, Black/African-American, Chicanx/Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/Alaskan and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.
According to the original complaint, G.H. checked "not listed." Her academic and extracurricular credentials and achievements carried her through to the interview stage. But when the interviewer learned she was white, "UCSF Benioff slammed the door to this opportunity shut in her face," the complaint said.
The family and PLF then filed suit, accusing UCSF of running a racially discriminatory taxpayer-funded program in violation of the U.S. Constitution and California law.
According to court documents, the parties have been involved in settlement talks since at least the fall of 2025, and had a written settlement agreement all but finalized by this spring.
The parties moved to dismiss the lawsuit and the judge granted that request on June 12.
Terms of the settlement were not provided in the court filings.
However, the PLF and the Hooleys claimed victory, saying: "The settlement ensures that the hospital’s prestigious healthcare internship program admits students without regard to race."
“The CHAMPS program provides an exceptional educational opportunity for high school students," attorney Quinio said in the statement. "No student should be turned away because of the color of her skin.”
The PLF added: "The settlement ensures that all students may apply to CHAMPS on equal terms. A government-run hospital cannot use race to pick winners and losers among students seeking educational opportunity."
Scott Holland contributed to this report.
