Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi's chief of staff—a longtime San Francisco resident and president of the city's Health Commission—has been named vice chancellor of community and government relations at the University of California, San Francisco, according to the university.
Over his 25-year career in public service, Dan Bernal worked in health care policy on the local, state and federal levels, serving on the board of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and in the White House for the political director under President Bill Clinton before working as Pelosi's senior advisor during the HIV/AIDS crisis.
In his new role at UCSF, he replaces interim Vice Chancellor Ellie Rossiter, who was appointed to her position in February.
“I am deeply grateful to Speaker Emerita Pelosi for her barrier-breaking, life-changing leadership on health care, education, equity and justice and so much more,” Bernal said. “Personally, her solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community and work to fight HIV/AIDS has been so meaningful to me and to our city.”
Bernal, who has lived with HIV since 1990, has a long record of advocacy around HIV/AIDS issues. He also frequently collaborated with UCSF's health experts in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
That experience and the network he built over decades in public politics and policy laid a foundation for his new role, UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood said.
“Dan’s experience at all levels of government and his productive relationships in the community are enormous assets as we pursue our core missions of research, patient care, education and public service,” Hawgood said in announcing the appointment. “He is committed to inclusivity and fairness to all people, and he knows the value that research can play in improving their lives. We have already been fortunate to work with him in government and know he will be a great fit for the UCSF community.”