Anita Watkins

As Managing Director for Rex Health Ventures, Anita leads a team for the venture arm of UNC Health to spur innovation in healthcare through strategic equity investments in early-stage companies. She works with companies to evaluate fit and with portfolio companies to deliver on strategic investment by leveraging expertise within UNC Health Rex and across the UNC Health system. Anita is also actively engaged in the community serving on a number of boards including the Council for Entrepreneurial Development, NC Museum of Natural Sciences, Innovate Raleigh, the NCSU College of Humanities and Social Sciences and as Chair of NC ASSIST, an NSF funded engineering research center focused on developing disruptive healthcare wearables. She is a member of the RTP-W network and the NCSU Chancellor’s Innovation Fund Selection Committee. She also recently completed an Eisenhower fellowship focused on methods to support female entrepreneurs.