Joel H. Dankwa

Joel Dankwa is an associate in the Corporate Practice Group in the firm's New York office and a member of the firm’s Healthcare Industry Team.

Areas of Practice

Joel advises healthcare organizations on complex legal and strategic issues spanning commercial transactions, regulatory compliance, and industry innovation. He serves as trusted counsel to a diverse array of healthcare clients, including health plans, risk-bearing entities, managed care organizations, hospital systems, provider practices, telehealth companies, and early-stage digital health innovators.

Joel represents clients on a broad spectrum of transactional matters, such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic affiliations, and multi-entity collaborations. He draws on his understanding of both federal and state regulatory landscapes to help clients structure and execute transactions that align with their organizational goals while ensuring compliance with evolving legal requirements.

In his regulatory practice, Joel counsels clients on compliance with federal regulations, including Medicare Advantage, Medicaid managed care, value-based care and other alternative payment arrangements, reimbursement, the Anti-Kickback Statute, Stark Law, and HIPAA privacy standards. He also provides guidance on state regulatory issues, including licensure, accreditation, the corporate practice of medicine, governance, and mental and behavioral health laws and regulations.

As a former state regulator, Joel brings significant insight into regulatory and policy matters affecting the healthcare sector. Prior to joining Sheppard Mullin, Joel served as Assistant Counsel in the Health Bureau of the New York State Department of Financial Services, where he led the agency’s population health policy initiatives and developed rules shaping the commercial insurance market in New York. He also served as a health policy analyst within the Health Care Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.

Previously, Joel practiced as a healthcare transactional and regulatory associate in the New York office of an AmLaw 100 law firm with a nationally-ranked healthcare practice, and he was also a corporate associate in the healthcare and life sciences group of an international law firm.

Articles

Healthcare Law Blog Posts

• "The Telehealth Cliff Has Arrived: What’s Changing and What to Watch," October 9, 2025

Memberships

New York State Bar Association, Health Law Section

Board Member, Chair of Development Committee, Learning through an Expanded Arts Program (“LEAP”) NYC