UCSF Office of Legal Counsel Hires Two Senior Attorneys for Campus, Health Priorities

The UCSF Office of Legal Counsel is announcing the appointment of two senior attorneys to its staff to support both Campus and Health priorities. Anagha Dandekar Clifford will join as the new deputy campus counsel and chief adviser for UCSF Resiliency Strategy in late February, and Ben Durie will join as a senior counsel for Healthcare Transactions and Strategy on Feb. 1.

Dandekar Clifford has worked in the University of California system for nearly six years as principal counsel in the UC Office of the President. While there, she has served as a strategic legal adviser to campus leaders on complex land use, real estate and business transactions, and collaborated with stakeholders both within and beyond the UCSF campus on large, often controversial projects. As deputy campus counsel, she will continue in that role for the Comprehensive Parnassus Heights Project and the New Hospital Parnassus Heights Project.

In her new role as deputy campus counsel, Dandekar Clifford will also advise the campus community across a wide range of substantive legal and policy areas, as well as undertake multiparty negotiation in complex transactions. In her role as chief adviser for Resiliency Strategy, she will lead an institution-wide committee focused on resiliency and provide strategic advice and planning to leadership on the entire range of UCSF initiatives affecting long-term institutional health and resiliency.

“Anagha has worked closely with UCSF leadership over the last few years on our Comprehensive Parnassus Heights Plan and the New Hospital Parnassus Heights Plan. Her land use experience has been invaluable in moving these projects forward,” said Greta Schnetzler, chief campus counsel in UCSF’s Office of Legal Affairs. “This work is going to be so important for our campus over the next 10-15 years, as is the work she’ll be doing in general transactional matters and resiliency. Anagha has greatly impressed us with her leadership, and we are so excited to have her join UCSF full time.”

Dandekar Clifford earned her JD at UC Davis School of Law and is on the board of directors of two Bay Area organizations: SPUR, a nonprofit civic planning organization, and the Housing Accelerator Fund, which works with local groups to build and preserve affordable homes.

“It’s an honor to join the UCSF team to expand upon the cutting edge work of UC Legal for the UCSF campus and health enterprise,” Dandekar Clifford said. “I am also thrilled to lead UCSF’s exploration of resilience strategy to further our ability to adapt and flourish in the face of adversity and opportunity.”

Durie comes to UCSF from the San Francisco office of Hooper, Lundy & Bookman, P.C., where he was a partner specializing in health care business transactions, including work as outside counsel for UCSF Health. He has worked with health care facilities on various regulatory, operational, corporate governance, compliance and self-disclosure matters.

In his new role as a senior counsel for Healthcare Transactions and Strategy, Durie will work closely with UCSF Health Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Shelby Decosta on strategic initiatives. “I’m thrilled to have Ben join our UCSF team,” Decosta said. “His transaction, partnership and accounts experience will be immensely valuable as UCSF Health looks to both deepen our relationships with existing network affiliates and pursue new relationships with organizations who share our vision for providing high-quality healthcare, close to where people live and work across the Bay Area.”

Durie earned his JD from the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law and is on the board of directors for the California Society for Healthcare Attorneys, where he also chairs the Publications Committee.

“I’m very excited to be joining a world-class organization like UCSF Health, and am really looking forward to the opportunity to contribute to such important and innovative work serving Bay Area communities,” said Durie.