HR Leadership

Chief Human Resources Officer, UCSF;
Associate Vice Chancellor, Human Resources, UCSF;
Senior Vice President, Human Resources, UCSF Health

Laura Dannels, PhD, MBA, SPHR, is the chief human resources officer at UCSF, bringing nearly two decades of experience in leading human capital strategy across health care, energy, and professional services. She serves as the associate vice chancellor of Human Resources for UCSF and senior vice president of Human Resources for UCSF Health. 

A Northern California native with deep Bay Area roots, Dannels specializes in workforce development and helping organizations adapt to change. Most recently, she served as the Chief Talent Officer for Wellstar Health System in Atlanta. Dannels has held HR leadership roles with organizations including Kaiser Permanente and has been recognized nationally for innovation in workforce transformation and talent management.

At Wellstar, she launched CareerCare, a nationally recognized career pathways program that builds predictive pipelines for health care’s most in-demand clinical and technology roles while removing barriers to entry and ensuring upward wage mobility for participants. She also led the modernization of HR systems and practices, advancing automation, analytics, and employee experience design to create a more seamless, data-driven, and equitable workplace. In partnership with Microsoft, she helped prepare teams for the future of health care by building both AI and human-centered skills while expanding access to programs that support learning, inclusion, and growth.

Dannels’ work has been honored by Forbes, Fortune, the Obama Administration, and the Tony Hsieh Award for innovation in workforce transformation. She serves as an adjunct professor at Columbia University in the graduate Human Capital Management program and as an HR Venture Advisor with SemperVirens Venture Capital. She is also a certified executive coach through the University of California, Berkeley.

She holds a PhD from Pepperdine University and an MBA from the University of Houston.

Vice President/Assistant Vice Chancellor, Talent Management and Operations

Jeffrey Chiu is responsible for driving and leading Human Resources talent management strategy and operations to carry out UCSF’s mission, vision and goals. He oversees Talent Acquisition, Compensation, Learning and Organization Development, Labor and Employee Relations, and HR Business Partners for UCSF and UCSF Health.

Chiu attended Rutgers University, receiving bachelor's degrees in marketing and psychology and a master's degree in human resources management.

Vice President/Assistant Vice Chancellor, People Wellness

Stephanie Collins leads health, wellness, and support programs for all of UCSF. She oversees disability management, worker’s compensation, faculty and staff assistance program, occupational health, health care facilitator program, benefits, and administration leaves. She is responsible for ensuring the delivery of high-quality health and preventive services to staff, academics, and trainees.

Collins attended Hampton University, receiving her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in nursing. She attended the University of Texas, obtaining her doctorate of nursing practice. Stephanie also is a registered nurse and nationally certified as a family nurse practitioner.

Executive Director, HR Shared Services

Patrick McClain leads the HR Shared Services team which provides support to campus and health teammates in the staff, academic, postdoc/trainee and HR operations shared services area. He is responsible for developing and executing on strategy in support of UCSF’s and human resources mission, vision, and goals.

McClain attended Chapman University, receiving a bachelor's degree in psychology, and the University of Phoenix, receiving a master's degree in organization management with an emphasis in human resources management.