By admin 
The Sacramento Bee and Nehemiah Leaders Programs are celebrating this year’s 60 Change Makers. Join them at our gala at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at the Grand Sheraton in downtown Sacramento. Buy tickets at sacramentochangemakers.com.
Read more All-you-can-eat sushi restaurant opens on Rancho Cordova’s Folsom Boulevard
Dr. Zenja Watkins was working late at the hospital on Independence Day one year. In the middle of the night, she delivered a baby. Just then, fireworks went off.
It felt reflective of the joy she finds in her work in obstetrics and gynecology. It is mostly, she said, a “very happy specialty, where good things are happening.”
“People are becoming parents. Babies are coming into the world. You get to see them open their eyes for the first time. And it’s like, ‘You’re here now. Make the best of it,’” she said.
In January, Watkins began participating in the “Dr. Me” program, intended to teach children about medicine and help them imagine themselves as future healthcare professionals. Watkins and other physicians held a white-coat ceremony for a fifth-grade class at Charles Mack Elementary School. Each student received a stethoscope and a white coat with their name and the Dr. Me logo on it, and from January to June, they learned about different areas of medicine, such as gastroenterology and pulmonology.
“They got a real glimpse into the science and the art of medicine, and a lot of them said they wanted to be doctors,” Watkins said.
Read more Freeway by Sacramento airport to see overnight lane closures. What drivers should know
Watkins also offers training and lectures for other Kaiser Permanente workers on the topic of African American health disparities. She covers a range of areas, but has taken a special focus on maternal morbidity and mortality disparities in recent years. When women like Serena Williams and Beyoncé talked about their pregnancy complications, Watkins said, their stories highlighted research that shows factors like high education or socioeconomic status don’t protect Black women from experiencing greater levels of complications.
“It just shined a light on the bigger problem,” Watkins said. “Bias is unconscious and it happens on a level that you can’t even recognize. That’s why it’s important that we have trainings and that we bring it to light.”
Watkins has been an OB-GYN for 28 years and has played piano at her church for 20 years or so. She drew a parallel between the two: Music and medicine, to her, never get old.
“It can change your mood. It can change your outlook, just like having a good doctor’s visit can,” Watkins said. “You go in a little hope, come out with a lot of hope.”
Read more Fifth Dutch Bros. Coffee location opening in Elk Grove. Here’s where and when
This story was originally published September 21, 2026 at 3:00 PM.