Watkins selected for “Women Who Mean Business” award

Zenja Watkins, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UC Davis Health System, has been selected to receive one of the 11th Annual Women Who Mean Business Awards presented by the Sacramento Business Journal.

Watkins, who also is the director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology’s Women’s Health Community Clinics, will be honored at an awards luncheon on Friday, June 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom, 1209 L St., Sacramento. UC Davis Health System is a sponsor of the event.

Lloyd Smith, professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, nominated Watkins for the award. He said that Watkins and her team of nurse practitioners “provide exemplary and compassionate prenatal, obstetrical and gynecological care to women at various socioeconomic levels and empower women to pursue healthier lives.”

Smith noted that under Watkins’s leadership, the Community Clinics Project started using a “Clinic on Wheels” to provide prenatal and well-woman care to underserved areas where such care is not otherwise available. The Community Clinics Program has recorded more than 3,400 patient visits over the past year, which includes more than 400 new prenatal care enrollments and resulted in nearly 400 obstetrical deliveries.

Watkins also volunteers her services for other community activities, Smith said. Those activities include a long-standing membership on the Sacramento Black Infant Health Community Advisory Board, and service at the Imani Clinic, a free clinic run by students of the UC Davis School of Medicine and staffed by UC Davis physicians.

Smith said, “Dr. Watkins serves as a mentor and inspiration for many female students and residents who see her as a role model for a career in medicine.”

The keynote speaker at the awards luncheon will be Karen Neuberger, of Karen Neuberger Sleepwear. A panel discussion will be moderated by Carlene Ellis, a former vice president of Intel.

After receiving her bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley in 1989, she graduated from the UC Davis School of Medicine in 1994. While a medical student, she received the Award for Excellence in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Watkins completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at UC Davis Medical Center in 1998.

The cost of a single ticket to the awards luncheon is $50. For more information, contact Susan Van Dyke at (916) 447-7661.