Over the last two decades, Gretchen has led McKinsey’s work with leading public and private healthcare organizations to develop innovative strategies and drive sustainable performance transformations. Gretchen draws on her in-depth experience in the healthcare industry to serve clients and is a leader in McKinsey’s Social Sector, Healthcare, & Public Sector Entities and Operations Practices, as well as our organization, operations, and MedTech work within the Life Sciences Practice.
Prior to leading McKinsey’s federal healthcare and civilian sector, Gretchen co-led our Provider Performance improvement domain. She has developed system-defining strategies across sectors and has implemented large transformations and market-level partnerships. A nurse by training, Gretchen founded our work on clinical workforce excellence, which is focused on improving nursing clinical workforce stability and outcomes.
Gretchen was previously an administrator at the National Health Service in the United Kingdom and is a member of several nonprofit boards. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and The Wharton School.
Published work
"The pulse of nurses’ perspectives on AI in healthcare delivery,” McKinsey & Company, October 2024
“Revitalizing organizational health in the care delivery sector,” McKinsey & Company, September 2024
“How to bridge the experience gap by supporting nurses of all tenures,” McKinsey & Company, March 2024
“Government productivity: Practical methods to deliver more with less,” McKinsey & Company, January 2024
“Understanding and prioritizing nurses’ mental health and well-being,” McKinsey & Company, November 2023
“Reimagining the nursing workload: Finding time to close the workforce gap,” McKinsey & Company, May 2023
“Nursing in 2023: How hospitals are confronting shortages,” McKinsey & Company, May 2023
“Should I stay, or should I go? Australia’s nurse retention dilemma,” McKinsey & Company, September 2022
“Around the world, nurses say meaningful work keeps them going,” McKinsey & Company, May 2022
“Assessing the lingering impact of COVID-19 on the nursing workforce,” McKinsey & Company, May 2022
“Women in healthcare and life sciences: The ongoing stress of COVID-19,” McKinsey & Company, April 2022
“Surveyed nurses consider leaving direct patient care at elevated rates,” McKinsey & Company, February 2022
“Nurses and the great attrition,” McKinsey & Company, January 2022
“Increased workforce turnover and pressures straining provider operations,” McKinsey & Company, August 2021
“Survey: US hospital patient volumes move back towards 2019 levels,” McKinsey & Company, August 2021
“What’s next in nursing? Meet the McKinsey RNs working to find out,” McKinsey & Company, May 2021
“Nursing in 2021: Retaining the healthcare workforce when we need it most,” McKinsey & Company, May 2021
“Challenges emerge for the US healthcare system as COVID-19 cases rise,” McKinsey & Company, November 2020
“Cutting through the COVID-19 surgical backlog,” McKinsey & Company, October 2020
“Women in healthcare: Moving from the front lines to the top rung,” McKinsey & Company, August 2020
“Future of nursing: Supporting nurses across settings,” McKinsey & Company, June 2020
Past experience
National Health Service
Administrator
Education
University of Pennsylvania
BS, nursing
BS, economics
