Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Gretchen spent her youth in the South and in California.  She attended the University of California at Davis, where she graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition.  In 1985, Gretchen moved to Boston to attend the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions (MGH-IHP).  She graduated in 1988 with a Master of Science degree in Nursing.  During her studies, she specialized in oncology and graduated as a Clinical Nurse Specialist.  From 1988 to 1993, Gretchen worked as a clinical nurse at Beth Israel Hospital (now Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital) in Boston on a 21-bed medical oncology unit including an autologous bone marrow transplant program.  She embraced the “primary nursing” model, specialized in pain management, and acted as preceptor for new staff.  From 1994-1995, she worked as a Hospice Nurse at Good Shepherd Community Care in Newton, MA.  As a nursing care coordinator, Gretchen managed the care of terminally ill patients and their families in the home and in long term care facilities.  From 1995 to 2013, Gretchen worked at Mount Auburn Hospital (MAH) in Cambridge, MA.  From 1995 to 2005 she worked as a Hematology Oncology Nurse caring for patients undergoing chemotherapy, targeted therapies and other hematological treatments in the outpatient setting.  From 2005 to 2013 she worked as a Radiation Oncology Nurse at MAH, working in tandem with a team of physicians, radiation therapists, and nursing colleagues to provide a full continuum of care during radiation treatment and follow-up periods.