Pfizer hit with racial discrimination lawsuit over minority fellowship program

Pfizer’s Breakthrough Fellowship Program, which provides rising Black, Latino and Native American college seniors with summer internships, two years of employment post-college and a scholarship, has attracted some detractors.

In a new lawsuit, the organization Do No Harm says the program is discriminatory. The group, which is comprised of medical and healthcare professionals who aim to “protect healthcare from a racist, divisive, and discriminatory ideology,” argues the program “categorically excludes” white and Asian-American applicants and is therefore illegal.

The case hinges on the fact that Pfizer receives federal financial assistance by accepting reimbursement from federal healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. That means all of the company’s operations are covered by federal prohibitions on racial discrimination, Do No Harm says.

In an emailed statement, the company said it is an equal opportunity employer "proud of its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion."

Pfizer added that it creates many opportunities for applicants and employees, "regardless of protected characteristics." The company has an education assistance program which all colleagues are eligible for, reimbursing employees up to $10,000 annually for tuition and "other eligible expenses" for approved courses and degrees ranging from associates to doctors. 

The program aims to fill Pfizer’s workforce with “a generation of 100 new leaders at Pfizer coming from underrepresented groups,” the company says on its website

Do No Harm seeks $1 in nominal damages and a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction barring the company from choosing its 2023 fellowship class and posting “racially discriminatory” advertisements for the program. It’s also asking that the company “formulate new eligibility” requirements that are race-neutral.