Gretchen McCartney

Gretchen McCartney leads media relations for UCLA Health’s organ transplants, surgery, infectious diseases and internal medicine, among other areas. She came to UCLA Health from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she led media for deep-space science missions – work that contributed to two Webbys and an Emmy Award. She was director of media relations for the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism; prior to that, she was a journalist for The Associated Press, news outlets in Florida and Texas, and she was a regular contributor to National Geographic Magazine. A North Carolina native, she earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from UNC-Chapel Hill.