Anne Marie Watkins is a CNO to Know
Becker's selects dynamic leader, who oversees patient care, nursing practice at growing academic health system
Orange, Calif. — Anne Marie Watkins, DNP, chief nursing executive and senior vice president at UCI Health, has once again been named in the Becker’s Hospital Review CNOs to Know list for her leadership overseeing patient care and nursing practice at the academic health system’s six hospitals and multiple outpatient locations.
“During 2024–25, she led the integration of four newly acquired community hospitals and consolidated operations under a single hospital license to streamline regulatory compliance. Under her leadership, RN turnover at the Orange campus declined from 15.4% to 9.1%, and multiple high-potential leaders were promoted into director roles,” the publication writes.
“Watkins has also advanced patient experience, driving gains in documentation compliance and physician–nurse communication scores.”
Her leadership was instrumental in the opening of the UCI Health ― Irvine acute care hospital and medical campus, which includes the Joe C. Wen & Family Center for Advanced Care, the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care building. The UCI Health — Irvine Rehabilitation Hospital, a two-story, 52-bed facility, will also open its doors this summer.
Watkins also serves as assistant dean of nursing education at the UC Irvine Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing. She is a member of the Hospital Quality Institute and the Association of California Nurse Leaders' Health Policy Committee. An accomplished educator, she serves as adjunct faculty at several universities and is a published author in the field of nursing administration.
About UCI Health
UCI Health is one of California’s largest academic health systems and the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Established on July 1, 1976, UCI Health has grown into a 1,461-bed health system that includes UCI Health — Orange, UCI Health — Irvine, four Community Network hospitals and a growing network of ambulatory care centers across Orange and Los Angeles counties. As Orange County’s only academic health systems, UCI Health is home to the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center based in the county, the region’s only American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, American College of Emergency Physicians Gold Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department and a nationally recognized regional burn center verified by the American Burn Association. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people across Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County through excellence in patient care, research and medical education. Follow UCI Health on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.