Gretchel Hill

Project: Developing two components: a wearable biosensor embedded in a sanitary pad with 3D absorbent cores, and a wireless real-time mobile app that connects to monitor key health metrics. Designed with women's safety, comfort, discretion, and sustainability at the forefront, the system aims to support early detection of reproductive health issues.

Gretchel Hill is an inventor, creative technologist, and retired Senior Consultant whose career bridges healthcare, storytelling, and innovation. She began her professional journey with a BFA in Filmmaking, using visual media to tell powerful, human-centered stories. Her path eventually led to a 20-year tenure at New York City Health+ Hospitals, where she specialized in the organization's supply chain system. There, she worked to improve operational efficiency and access across one of the nation's largest public healthcare networks.

Before retiring, Hill's work in healthcare operations revealed widespread challenges many women face in managing menstrual health and maintaining quality of life—particularly women of color. But it was her own personal health journey that became the catalyst for her innovation. After suffering for years with heavy menstrual bleeding that ultimately led to a hysterectomy, Hill was left with no clear diagnosis or understanding of why. That experience became her turning point.

Determined to help others avoid the same uncertainty, she set out to reimagine the sanitary pad—not just as a product of necessity, but as a tool for awareness, empowerment, and potentially lifesaving insight. Her work is driven by a commitment to give women, especially in underserved communities, the ability to advocate for their health with knowledge and confidence.

Self-taught in UI/UX design and mobile app development, Hill holds multiple patents and continues to build her innovations independently. She is a proud member of the National Association of Each One Teach One and the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, reflecting her dedication to mentorship, equity, and community impact.

Hill's journey reflects a powerful blend of lived experience, professional insight, and purpose-driven design—all in service of creating tools that uplift and protect women's health and dignity.