General Practitioner, Gold Coast

Gretchen Hitchins (MB BS, FRACGP) completed her undergraduate training at the University of Queensland and later gained her Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners in 1992. In 2000, she completed a Graduate Diploma in Adolescent Health and Welfare via the University of Melbourne and the Centre for Adolescent Health (Melbourne) and in 2004 completed a Master in Adolescent Mental Health (NSW Institute of Psychiatry).

In January 2000, Gretchen established a voluntary general practice service at YhES House, a Gold Coast youth centre. Although now working from private rooms, Dr Hitchins’ practice remains restricted to adolescent and young adult health (and their children). She has a particular interest in all aspects of adolescent substance abuse, mental health, youthful pregnancy and parenting, and sexual health.

For several years Gretchen was involved in the development and delivery of the Gold Coast Division of General Practice “GPs in Schools” programme. She has also facilitated education programs for teachers, parents and school-based youth health nurses on a variety of adolescent health issues; was involved in the “Dr Link” workshops Australia-wide (adolescent mental health for GPs) in 2004 and has an ongoing involvement with “Time Efficient Mental Health” workshops for GPs in south-east Queensland, and is a volunteer for the youth website Somazone.

Gretchen spent four years as a sexual assault medical officer in the Gold Coast Region, providing after-hours care for victims of sexual violence. She has three children aged 19, 17 and 13.