Under Agee’s leadership, Carilion has been busy working with public-private partnerships to develop new technologies and processes that improve patient outcomes. Carilion Innovation, a program launched in 2020, has evaluated more than 80 ideas, with 50 of them in various developmental stages and has invested in three start-ups, including Chorda Pharma, which develops opioid-free pain relievers. Six years ago, the health system worked with Virginia Tech to form VTC Ventures—an early-stage venture capital fund, which offers up to $500,000 for technologies at the riskiest, early stages of development, and up to $5 million for projects farther along on the commercialization path. Agee has worked at the seven-hospital system for nearly 50 years, beginning as a staff nurse in 1973. She rose through the leadership ranks, becoming chief operating officer in 2001 and CEO in 2011.